English
religious
Religious comes from Latin religiōsus ‘religious, superstitious, conscientious’, and goes back to religiō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreligiō1‘scrupulousness’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreligiōsus1‘religious’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400religious1
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400religieus1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500religiouse1
- Englishearliest quotation 1787religious1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English religious
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1787, Constitutional Convention, Constitution of the United States: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreligiōWiktionary, English religious‘scrupulousness’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreligiōsusWiktionary, English religious‘religious’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400religiousWiktionary, English religious
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400religieusWiktionary, English religious
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500religiouseWiktionary, English religious
- Englishearliest quotation 1787religiousWiktionary, English religious. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1787, Constitutional Convention, Constitution of the United States: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind, tie’
through Latin ligō ‘to tie, bind’
league, ally, liable, alloy, liaison, ligament, lien, ligand, liaise, ligature, legato, obligate, ligation, 15 more
through Latin religō ‘to observe, to venerate’
Today it means
adj Concerning religion.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “religious”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin religiō / religious