Definition for "Cult"

Etymology

From French culte, from Latin cultus (“care, adoration; cult”), from colō (“cultivate; protect”).
....Source from : Wiktionary

Cult - (Noun)

phonetic : /kəlt/ http://www.gstatic.com/dictionary/static/sounds/de/0/cult.mp3
1. A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object
  • the cult of St. Olaf
2. A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister
  • a network of Satan-worshiping cults
3. A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing
  • a cult of personality surrounding the leaders
4. A person or thing that is popular or fashionable, esp. among a particular section of society
  • a cult film
....Source from : Google Definitions

(n) cult (followers of an exclusive system of beliefs and practices)
rage (an interest followed with exaggerated zeal) "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"
(n) cult (followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader)
(n) cult (a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false) "it was a satanic cult"
religious cult (a system of religious beliefs and rituals) "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"
....Source from : wordnetweb

Cult (klt) n. [F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. ****.]

1. Attentive care; homage; worship.

    Every one is convinced of the reality of a better self, and of the cult or homage which is due to it.
Shaftesbury.

2. A system of religious belief and worship.

    That which was the religion of Moses is the ceremonial or cult of the religion of Christ.
Coleridge.

3. A system of intense religious veneration of a particular person, idea, or object, especially one considered spurious or irrational by traditional religious bodies; as, the Moonie cult.
[PJC]

4. The group of individuals who adhere to a cult (senses 2 or 3).
[PJC]

5. A strong devotion or interest in a particular person, idea or thing without religious associations, or the people holding such an interest; as, the cult of James Dean; the cult of personality in totalitarian societies.
[PJC]

....Source from : ibiblio.org

A group or doctrine with religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society or exploitative towards its members.
....Source from : Wiktionary

....Source from : Wiktionary

Cult - (Adjective)

Of, or relating to a cult.
....Source from : Wiktionary

Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.
  • a cult horror movie
....Source from : Wiktionary

Cult - (General)

5. followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
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6. fad: an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"
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7. followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader
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8. (cultism) devotion to the doctrine or a cult or to the practices of a cult
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9. (cultism) idolatry: religious zeal; the willingness to serve God
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10. The word cult pejoratively refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered strange. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices. The narrower, derogatory sense of the word is a product of the 20th century, especially since the 1980s, and is considered subjective. ...
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11. The Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) is a committee of the European Parliament.
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12. Cult is Apocalyptica's third album, released in 2000 with a special-edition released in 2001 containing an extra disc. This album also saw a small trend starting in their single releases, as both "Hope" and "Path" have second versions called "Path Vol. 2" and "Hope Vol. ...
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13. A number of fictional cults appear in the Cthulhu Mythos. Many of these cults serve the Outer God Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, a protean deity that appears in a myriad of guises. ...
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14. Cult is a 2003 novel by Warren Adler.
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15. In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings ("scriptures"), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. ...
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16. A group or doctrine with religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society or exploitative towards its members; Devotion to a saint; Of, or relating to a cult; Enjoyed by a small, loyal group
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17. (Cults) Deviant organizations which feature religious innovation (RCT) or do not claim a monopoly of religious truth (Wallis/Bruce). ...
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18. (Cults) Get the skinny on the often controversial, sometimes dangerous New Religious Movements- including Scientology, Moonies, Hare Krishnas, The Branch Davidians, and Aum Shinrikyo. As many viewpoints as possible will be explored.
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19. (Cults) Groups that demand obedience and submission in the name of a Higher Power.
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20. (Cults) are usually blamed and found guilty for doing things in radical ways.
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21. (Cults) are, like sects, new religious groups. But, unlike sects, they can form without breaking off from another religious group (though they often do). ...
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22. In religion and sociology, a cult is a term designating a cohesive group of people (generally, but not exclusively a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream.
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23. This concept was originally developed as one component of a typology: churches, denominations, sects and cults. ...
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24. group bound together by devotion to a particular person, belief, or god
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25. (Lat., cultus.) System of forms and ceremonies used in worship.
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26. System of religious ritual and practice; outward human sub-culture enacting a religion. In academic biblical studies, "cult" and "cultic" are not pejorative terms!
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27. In biblical studies, this term is neutral and refers to the external features of a religion or religious group. Thus, “Israelite cult” refers to the priests, Temple, sacrifices, rituals, and other physical aspects of Israelite liturgy or religion. ...
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28. used in this (limited popular) context only, "cult" refers to the organisation that develops around an abusive guru, and which enforces the abuser's authority, usually by means of an inner circle of lieutenants or close disciples who have taken on the abusive guru's dysfunctional sadomasochistic ...
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29. a religious organisation that is substantially outside a society's cultural traditions
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....Source from : Google Definitions

Pronunciation : IPA

  • /kʌlt/
  • -ʌlt
....Source from : Wiktionary