ophiolatry

[of-ee-ol-uh-tree, oh-fee-]

noun

1. the worship of snakes.

Other Word Forms

• ophiolater noun
• ophiolatrous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ophiolatry¹

1860–65; < Greek óphi ( s ) snake + (id)olatry

Example Sentences

Phallic worship would seem to have been always confined to these temples, with ophiolatry—the nagas or water-snake deities being accommodated in sacred tanks, in the midst of which the early Kashmir temples were usually placed.

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