Definitions for Puritan
ˈpyʊər ɪ tnpu·ri·tan

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puritannoun

   a member of a group of English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries thought that the Protestant Reformation under Elizabeth was incomplete and advocated the simplification and regulation of forms of worship

2. puritannoun

   someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures

3. prude, puritannoun

   a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.5 / 2 votes

1. puritannoun

   (often disapproving): a puritanical person

2. puritanadjective

   (often disapproving): acting or behaving according to the Puritan morals (e.g. propagating modesty), especially with regard to pleasure, nudity and sex

3. Puritannoun

   A member of a particular Protestant religious sect.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puritannoun

   A sectary pretending to eminent purity of religion.

   Etymology: from pure.

   The schism which the papists on the one hand, and the superstition which the puritan on the other, lay to our charge, are very justly chargeable upon themselves. Robert Sanderson.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puritan

   The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. Puritanism played a significant role in English history, especially during the Protectorate. Puritans were dissatisfied with the limited extent of the English Reformation and with the Church of England's toleration of certain practices associated with the Roman Catholic Church. They formed and identified with various religious groups advocating greater purity of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and corporate piety. Puritans adopted a Reformed theology, and in that sense they were Calvinists (as were many of their earlier opponents). In church polity, some advocated separation from all other established Christian denominations in favour of autonomous gathered churches. These Separatist and Independent strands of Puritanism became prominent in the 1640s, when the supporters of a presbyterian polity in the Westminster Assembly were unable to forge a new English national church. By the late 1630s, Puritans were in alliance with the growing commercial world, with the parliamentary opposition to the royal prerogative, and with the Scottish Presbyterians with whom they had much in common. Consequently, they became a major political force in England and came to power as a result of the First English Civil War (1642–1646). Almost all Puritan clergy left the Church of England after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and the 1662 Uniformity Act. Many continued to practice their faith in nonconformist denominations, especially in Congregationalist and Presbyterian churches. The nature of the movement in England changed radically, although it retained its character for a much longer period in New England. Puritanism was never a formally defined religious division within Protestantism, and the term Puritan itself was rarely used after the turn of the 18th century. Some Puritan ideals, including the formal rejection of Roman Catholicism, were incorporated into the doctrines of the Church of England; others were absorbed into the many Protestant denominations that emerged in the late 17th and early 18th centuries in North America and Britain. The Congregational churches, widely considered to be a part of the Reformed tradition, are descended from the Puritans. Moreover, Puritan beliefs are enshrined in the Savoy Declaration, the confession of faith held by the Congregationalist churches.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. puritan

   A Puritan is a member of a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from what they considered to be Catholic practices, advocating simplicity in worship, strict personal morality and discipline, predestination, and the sovereignty of God. The name Puritans was given to them because of their desire to purify their church and lives based on their Calvinistic beliefs. Some Puritans emigrated to America in the early 17th century and played a crucial role in the early European settlement of North America.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puritannoun

   one who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England

2. Puritannoun

   one who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions

3. Puritanadjective

   of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans

4. Etymology: [From Purity.]

WikidataRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Puritan

   The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, including, but not limited to, English Calvinists. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England. The designation "Puritan" is often incorrectly used, notably based on the assumption that hedonism and puritanism are antonyms. Historically, the word was used pejoratively to characterize the Protestant group as extremists similar to the Cathari of France, and according to Thomas Fuller in his Church History dated back to 1564, Archbishop Matthew Parker of that time used it and "precisian" with the sense of modern "stickler". Puritans were blocked from changing the established church from within, and severely restricted in England by laws controlling the practice of religion, but their views were taken by the emigration of congregations to the Netherlands and later New England, and by evangelical clergy to Ireland and later into Wales, and were spread into lay society by preaching and parts of the educational system, particularly certain colleges of the University of Cambridge. They took on distinctive views on clerical dress and in opposition to the episcopal system, particularly after the 1619 conclusions of the Synod of Dort were resisted by the English bishops. They largely adopted Sabbatarian views in the 17th century, and were influenced by millennialism.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puritan

   pūr′i-tan, n. one aiming at greater strictness in religious life, esp. one of a religious and political party having such aims in the time of Elizabeth and the Stuarts.—adj. pertaining to the Puritans.—adjs. Pūritan′ic, -al, like a Puritan: rigid: exact.—adv. Pūritan′ically.—v.i. Pūr′itanise.—n. Pūr′itanism, a puritan manner of life: strictness of life: simplicity and purity of worship: the notions or practice of Puritans. [L. puritas, purity—purus, pure.]

Matched Categories

1. • Protestant
   • Abstainer

Anagrams for Puritan »

1. pintura

2. uptrain

How to pronounce Puritan?

1. Alex

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How to say Puritan in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Puritan in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Puritan in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Puritan in a Sentence

1. Bertrand Russell:

   We may define a Puritan as a man who holds that certain kinds of acts, even if they have no visible bad effects upon others than the agent, are inherently sinful, and, being sinful, ought to be prevented by whatever means is most effectual - the criminal law if possible, and, if not that, then public opinion backed by economic pressure.

2. Jonathan Adler:

   There's a lot of research on the theme of redemption. It's sort of a classic American master narrative, we have the Puritan settlers finding freedom. We have ex-slaves' narratives about liberation. We have the rags to riches stories.

3. Joe Bagley:

   Luxury items are rare in other 17th century sites in New England, but the two best sites found in Boston, including this one, have a high number of them showing that Boston was a center of wealth for the region and its residents who had that wealth were willing and able to show off a bit, despite their Puritan lifestyle.

4. Kenneth Hare:

   The Puritan through life’s sweet garden goes to pluck the thorn and cast away the rose.

5. Thomas Babington Macaulay:

   The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Puritan
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Puritan
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Puritan
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Puritan
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Puritan
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Puritan