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Definition of Protestants - 5 dictionary results

Prot⋅es⋅tant

  [prot-uh-stuhnt or, for 4, 6, pruh-tes-tuhnt]
Use Protestants in a Sentence
–noun
1. any Western Christian who is not an adherent of a Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Church.
2. an adherent of any of those Christian bodies that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended from them.
3. (originally) any of the German princes who protested against the decision of the Diet of Speyer in 1529, which had denounced the Reformation.
4. (lowercase) a person who protests.
–adjective
5. belonging or pertaining to Protestants or their religion.
6. (lowercase) protesting.
Origin:
1530–40; < G or F, for L prōtestantēs, pl. of prp. of prōtestārī to bear public witness. See protest, -ant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Prot·es·tant   (prŏt'ĭ-stənt)   
n.  

  1. A member of a Western Christian church whose faith and practice are founded on the principles of the Reformation, especially in the acceptance of the Bible as the sole source of revelation, in justification by faith alone, and in the universal priesthood of all the believers.

  2. A member of a Western Christian church adhering to the theologies of Luther, Calvin, or Zwingli.

  3. One of the German princes and cities that supported the doctrines of Luther and protested against the decision of the second Diet of Speyer (1529) to enforce the Edict of Worms (1521) and deny toleration to Lutherans.

  4. protestant also (prə-těs'tənt) One who makes a declaration or avowal.

adj.  Of or relating to Protestants or Protestantism.

[French, from German, from Latin prōtestāns, prōtestant-, present participle of prōtestārī, to protest; see protest.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

Protestant

A Christian belonging to one of the three great divisions of Christianity (the other two are the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church). Protestantism began during the Renaissance as a protest against the established (Roman Catholic) church. That protest, led by Martin Luther, was called the Reformation, because it sprang from a desire to reform the church and cleanse it of corruption, such as the selling of indulgences.

Note: Protestants hold a great variety of beliefs, but they are united in rejecting the authority of the pope. Protestant groups include the Amish, the Anglican Communion, the Assemblies of God, the Baptists, Christian Science, the Congregationalists, the Lutheran Church, the Mennonites, the Methodists, the Presbyterian Church, and the Quakers.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Protestant 
1539, from Ger. or Fr. protestant, from L. protestantem (nom. protestans), prp. of protestari (see protest). Originally used of Ger. princes and free cities who declared their dissent from the decision of the Diet of Speyer (1529) denouncing the Reformation. The word was taken up by the Lutherans in Germany (Swiss and French preferred Reformed). It became the general word for "adherents of the Reformation in Germany," then "member of any Western church outside the Roman communion;" a sense first attested in Eng. in 1553.
"In the 17c
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pro·tes·tant
Pronunciation: pr&-'tes-t&nt
Function: noun
: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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