religion [ME] The Roman attitude to their gods was rather different from that of today, so that although their religion-, religio, which reached English via French religioun, could mean awe or reverence, it was also strongly weighted towards the idea of fear, taboo, and ritual. There are two possible origins of the Latin word, each with its supporters. One is that it comes from religere ‘to read over again’, giving an original sense of ‘painstaking observance of rites’ (see also legend); the other, which was particularly supported by early Christian writers, is that it comes from religare, from re- plus ligare ‘tie, bind’, giving an original sense of ‘that which ties believers to God’(see rely).