infidel

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in·fi·del / ˈinfədl; -ˌdel/ • n. chiefly archaic a person who does not believe in religion or who adheres to a religion other than one's own: [as pl. n.] (the infidel) they wanted to secure the Holy Places from the infidel. • adj. adhering to a religion other than one's own: the infidel foe.ORIGIN: late 15th cent.: from French infidèle or Latin infidelis, from in- ‘not’ + fidelis ‘faithful’ (from fides ‘faith,’ related to fidere ‘to trust’). The word originally denoted a person of a religion other than one's own, specifically a Muslim (to a Christian), a Christian (to a Muslim), or a Gentile (to a Jew).

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