noun

polytheism

PAH-lee-thee-iz-um/ˈpɑːliθiɪzəm/

Belief in or worship of more than one god.

The worshipper practices polytheism by honoring Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon.

An ancient Greek worshipper presents an offering at a shared altar before three distinct deity statues: Zeus with a thunderbolt, Athena with helmet and shield, and Poseidon with a trident.

Etymology

polyGreekmany

+theGreekgod

+ismEnglishbelief or doctrine

The roots describe “many gods”; the ending makes this a name for a religious belief. Here “many” means more than one, without specifying a particular number of gods.

In context

dropsofsunlight7:28

Hellenic polytheism is just like any other religion in the sense that these gods are not going to materialize in your room.

How to worship the Greek gods? — Hellenic polytheism 101

More examples

Our class compares polytheism with belief in a single god.
In this form of polytheism, each god has a distinct role.
Her research explores polytheism in ancient Rome.

Forms

polytheism

polytheist noun — A person who believes in multiple gods.

polytheistic adjective — Relating to belief in multiple gods.