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cult (noun) -

1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious, also : its body of adherents
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book)
b: the object of such devotion
c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual, also : its body of adherents
4: formal religious veneration : worship
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator

Source : Merriam-Webster

Etymology : Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration." In English, cult has evolved a number of meanings following a fairly logical path. The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus." By the early 18th century, cult could refer to a non-religious admiration or devotion, such as to a person, idea, or fad ("the cult of success"). Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious."

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