Cult, Occult

The word cult (Latin colere) means ‘to cultivate’ or ‘to worship,’ and is occasionally mistaken as occult but has nothing to do with it, except that some cults base their rituals and worship around occult ideas. Occult (Latin occulere) means ‘to cover, hide or conceal.’ A cult is a noun and refers to a movement or group of people with a specific agenda; occult is primarily an adjective used to describe any of the various ideas represented by the Old Religions or their modern offshoots.