cargo cult


noun (sometimes initial capital letters)

any of various native religious cults of a millenarian and messianic character located in the southwestern Pacific islands, holding that spirits will bring large cargoes of modern goods for distribution among its adherents.

Origin of cargo cult

First recorded in 1945–50

OTHER WORDS FROM cargo cult

cargo cultist, noun

Words nearby cargo cult

British Dictionary definitions for cargo cult

cargo cult

noun

a religious movement of the SW Pacific, characterized by expectation of the return of spirits in ships or aircraft carrying goods that will provide for the needs of the followers