atheism Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
... XVI. — Fr. athéisme , f. Gr. átheos , f. A- 4 + theós god; see -ISM So atheist XVI. — F. athéiste or It. ateista ; hence atheistic XVII, atheistical...
atheism Quick reference
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (2 ed.)
... the theory or belief that God does not exist. The word comes (in the late 16th century, via French) from Greek atheos , from a- ‘without’ + theos ...
Borrowing Quick reference
The Oxford Companion to the English Language (2 ed.)
...rhinoceros, rhododendron, stigma, synthesis, thesis . 2. With Latin endings: brontosaurus, chrysanthemum, diplodocus, hippopotamus, Pliohippus . 3. Endings dropped or adapted: agnostic, agnosticism, alphabet, alphabetic, analyst, analytic, anthocyanin, astrobleme, atheism, automatic, biologist, biology, blasphemy, charismatic, chemotherapy, chronobiology, cinematography, critic, criticism, dinosaur, dogmatic, dogmatism, dramatic, dramatist, electric, electronic, enigmatic, epistemic, epistemology, gene, genetic, herpetology, narcolepsy, odyssey,...
Classical Compound Quick reference
The Oxford Companion to the English Language (2 ed.)
...(sidereal) astrology: consider 7.20 V air* airy; airline; airtight L aer(o) aerial; aeroplane; aero-dynamic G atmo atmosphere 8. Religion 8.1 V god ungodly; godlike; god-damned L de deity; deification; deism G the theistic; atheism; theosophy; monotheism 8.2 V devil* devilish; devilry L — G diabol diabolical; diabolism 8.3 V church* churchy; church-goer L — G ecclesia ecclesiastical 8.4 V holy; saint* unholy; holiness; saintly; sainthood L sanct(u);...
epicure Quick reference
A New Dictionary of Eponyms
...aim and highest good, but pleasure had to consist of right living to lead to tranqillity of mind and body. Epicurus went to Athens in 306 b.c. with a group of disciples and began a school that was in reality a way of life. His school, known as Ho Kepos (the garden), fostered atheism, permitted no marriages, children, or participation in public life. His followers became known as the “philosophers of the garden.” Epicurus was a moral man, and his standards were just as high for his students, but the public was unconvinced. In a letter to Menoeceus, he wrote:...
