"Cult" is an adjective with three lexical meanings. All of them, to one degree or another, are explained by the etymology of the term - it comes from the noun "cult", which means the deification of something, veneration, worship, the creation of special rites and rituals for this. However, all three values are different and must be considered separately.
Historical value
Literally, "cult" is the definition that fits the object of worship or element of the rite associated with this worship. For example, we can say that a church is a place of worship, since any religion is a kind of cult, and the worship of a god or gods is its element.
Most of the ancient structures, such as, for example, the famous Egyptian pyramids, can also be considered cult. Only in this case we are not talking about a religious cult, but about a totalitarian one - the cult of the pharaoh, king, emperor, leader. Unless, of course, we do not take into account the fact that the pharaoh in ancient Egypt was equated withdeity.
Figuratively
In modern society, it is rare to find real cults with rites and rituals. However, there are still people and works of art that are known and respected enough to form some special level of reverence and admiration around them. It can be, for example, a talented politician, an interesting film, a best-selling novel, or an expensive painting. Such things can be called cult.
Here are some examples of how the word "cult" can be used in this sense:
- "Titanic" with Leonardo DiCaprio is a cult romantic tragedy.
- Elon Musk is a cult figure whose name is known to millions of people.
- "Harry Potter" is a cult book on which several generations have grown up.
In this case, the word "cult" is something close in meaning to "legendary", "known to everyone", "recognized around the world".
In narrow circles
Despite the fact that small associations of people by interests cannot be considered full-fledged cults or even something close to them, the adjective "cult" in their relation has nevertheless taken root. This is how they talk about something very famous in relatively small groups of people. For example:
- Spider-Man is an iconic character among Marvel comics fans.
- John Tolkien is a cult fantasy author.
That is, the given meaning of the word"cult" implies that the named character, performer or author may not be an idol of millions, but is considered a legend in certain groups of people.
