pre-Christian

American  

[pree-kris-chuhn] / priˈkrɪs tʃən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to a time or period before the Christian Era.

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pre-Christian British  

adjective

1. of or referring to the period of history prior to the establishment of Christianity

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Etymology

Origin of pre-Christian

First recorded in 1820–30; pre- + Christian

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pre-Christian

"One example are neo-pagan groups, a religious and cultural current based on pre-Christian paganism whose followers see themselves as living Scandinavian paganism -- often in contrast to monotheistic religions such as Christianity."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 23, 2025

Christmas lights descend from the candles once used to decorate Christmas trees, which in turn may have links to pre-Christian traditions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

The council said the scholar wrote that King Raedwald had a temple in which there were altars to pre-Christian gods alongside an altar to Christ, but did not specifically say that this was at Rendlesham.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2023

Their interior and exterior decoration often depicted themes and images from the pre-Christian era, such as heroes from the sagas of the Vikings.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Medieval sites were often associated with holy springs or wells that had been considered sacred in pre-Christian times.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

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