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Mithraism

American  
[mith-ruh-iz-uhm] / ˈmɪθ rəˌɪz əm /
Also Mithraicism

noun

  1. an ancient Persian religion in which Mithras was worshiped, involving secret rituals to which only men were admitted: a major competitor of Christianity in the Roman empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries a.d.


Mithraism British  
/ ˈmɪθreɪˌɪzəm, mɪθˈreɪɪˌsɪzəm, mɪθˈreɪɪk /

noun

  1. the ancient Persian religion of Mithras. It spread to the Roman Empire during the first three centuries ad

"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

Other Word Forms

  • Mithraic adjective
  • Mithraist noun
  • Mithraistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mithraism

Mithra(s) + -ism

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.

“Yalda” means birth, and in the pre-Zoroastrian religion Mithraism, the god of the sun was believed to have been born on the longest night of the year.

From New York Times

Unlike other Roman Gods, such as Jupiter, Mithraism was congregational in nature, Beard says.

From BBC

From the river Euphrates to the Wall of Antoninus in Britain, and into the forests of Germany, Mithraism everywhere prevailed.

From Project Gutenberg

The votary to Mithraism actually bathed in the blood of the sacrificial bull.

From Project Gutenberg

In this effort, Mithraism was not so much impeded by a heritage of coarse legend as the worships of Pessinus and Alexandria.

From Project Gutenberg