Reformation - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ref·or·ma·tion

Audio Help [ref-er-mey-shuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the act of reforming; state of being reformed.

2.	(initial capital letter) the religious movement in the 16th century that had for its object the reform of the Roman Catholic Church, and that led to the establishment of the Protestant churches.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME reformacion < L refōrmātiōn- (s. of refōrmātiō), equiv. to refōrmāt(us) (ptp. of refōrmāre to reform) + -iōn- -ion

]

—Related forms

ref·or·ma·tion·al, adjective

—Synonyms 1. improvement, betterment, correction, reform.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Reformation

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ref·or·ma·tion Audio Help (rěf'ər-mā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.

The act of reforming or the state of being reformed.
Reformation A 16th-century movement in Western Europe that aimed at reforming some doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches.

ref'or·ma'tion·al adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
reformation

"improvement, alteration for the better," c.1425, from L. reformationem, noun of action from reformare (see reform (v.)). In reference to the European religious movement, it is pre-1548, borrowed from Luther. The movement began as a bid to reform doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

reformation
noun
1.	improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs
2.	a religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches
3.	rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course; "the reclamation of delinquent children" [syn: reclamation]

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
Reformation

A religious movement in the sixteenth century that began as an attempted reform of the Roman Catholic Church but resulted in the founding of Protestant churches separate from it. Some of the leaders of the Reformation were Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. The Reformation was established in England after King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Christian Church in that country.

[Chapter:] World History to 1550

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Reformation

Re*form"\, n. [F. r['e]forme.] Amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government.

Civil service reform. See under Civil.

Reform acts (Eng. Politics), acts of Parliament passed in 1832, 1867, 1884, 1885, extending and equalizing popular representation in Parliament.

Reform school, a school established by a state or city government, for the confinement, instruction, and reformation of juvenile offenders, and of young persons of idle, vicious, and vagrant habits. [U. S.]

Syn: Reformation; amendment; rectification; correction. See Reformation.

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