/ ˈhiːðn; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun ( old-fashioned , offensive )
1.
used by people who have a strong religious belief as a way of referring to a person who has no religion or who believes in a religion that is not one of the world's main religions
2.
used to refer to a person who shows lack of education
■ adjective
( old-fashioned , offensive ) connected with heathens :
heathen gods
He set out to convert the heathen (= people who are heathens ) .
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English hǣthen , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heiden and German Heide ; generally regarded as a specifically Christian use of a Germanic adjective meaning inhabiting open country , from the base of heath .