1 any substance or mixture of compounds that, added to a solution, is capable of neutralizing both acids and bases without appreciably changing the original acidity or alkalinity of the solution.  Also called buffer solution. a solution containing such a substance.
But the origins of witchcraft prosecution can be traced back to Europe centuries prior, when pre-Reformation courts first induced criminals to admit to heresy and witchcraft to exert social control through displays of harsh and often violent punishment.
The word itself originated in Ancient Greece around the 5th century, but atheism predates any religion. Atheism did not need a label until churches, gods, and religions became so common place that to NOT believe in any of the gods was now seen as unique.Atheism originated everywhere there were people. Atheism is the natural state into which we are born.Most scientists feel the very first humans ever to walk the earth lived in Africa, the homeland for all humanity, so that would be where atheism originated, too.theism has always existed and therefore predates any invention of gods of any kind. In earliest times the thought of gods had not yet permeated the human mind. The term would have been meaningless.