fertility cult

American

noun

a religious cult devoted to the enhancement of the fertility of persons, plants, or animals, by means of rituals often associated with a particular deity.
the body of members of such a cult.

fertility cult British

noun

the practice in some settled agricultural communities of performing religious or magical rites to ensure good weather and crops and the perpetuity of the tribe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fertility cult

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Or a saint from some fertility cult: Holy Jolie.

From Time Magazine Archive

Looked upon in the light of a fertility cult, the ritual of the witches becomes comprehensible.

From The Witch-cult in Western Europe A Study in Anthropology by Murray, Margaret Alice

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023