A WORD A DAY.
HERSEY. Any opinion held in opposition to an established or commonly accepted doctrine may broadly be called a “heresy.” The word, however, has specific application to-day to a diverging religious belief advanced by one claiming adherence to the denomination or sect which it is his obvious effort to harm. Our word was derived from the Greek hairesis, “a taking for one’s self, a choosing, a choice,” from hairein “to take or choose.” A heretic originally, then, was one who did not accept the prevailing doctrine, but chose for himself. By use, however, the word has acquired a more opprobrious application. Her-e-sy is accented on the first syllable; first e as in get, second as in event, y as in fancy. Example: “Heresies have existed in one form or another since the beginning of religious rites.”
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19321031.2.84
Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 21851, 31 October 1932, Page 8
Word Count
139A WORD A DAY. Southland Times, Issue 21851, 31 October 1932, Page 8
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