cult
UK[kʌlt]US[kʌlt]
n
A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object.
n
A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
n
A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.
Etymology
The word 'cult' entered English in the early 17th century from French 'culte', which itself derived from Latin 'cultus', meaning 'worship, adoration'. 'Cultus' is the past participle of the verb 'colere', whose core meanings encompassed 'to till, inhabit, protect, honor'. This semantic range connects the care for land to the care for the divine. The original English use was neutral, denoting a system of religious worship. Over time, influenced by sociological studies and popular usage, it developed its modern connotations of a small, often unorthodox or controlling, religious group, and later extended metaphorically to any intense, faddish devotion.
Analysis
The word 'cult' is a simplex loanword from French. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes within its current English spelling. Its core element, 'cult-', originates from the Latin past participle stem 'cult-' of the verb 'colere', meaning 'to till, cultivate, worship'.
Examples
The ancient civilization had a complex cult centered on sun worship.
The authorities were concerned about the dangerous cult operating in the remote compound.
He has developed a cult following for his unique and eccentric filmmaking style.