Did the Ancient Greeks Have a Word for "Religion"?
Classical Ancient Greek had no single word that fully matched the modern abstract idea of “religion” as a separate sphere of life. Religious practices and attitudes toward the gods were described with several words and expressions. For example, *eusebeia* meant piety or proper reverence, *hosiotēs* referred to holiness or what is right toward the gods, and *thrēskeia* referred to ritual worship or cultic practice.
So the absolute claim that “no word existed” needs qualification: Greek did have related terms, including *thrēskeia*, which was later translated as “religion.” The historical point is that there was no exact equivalent of the modern umbrella category—not that Greeks lacked concepts, vocabulary, or religious life.