Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

puritan

 [pyoor-i-tn]   Example Sentences Origin

Pu·ri·tan

   [pyoor-i-tn]
noun
1.
a member of a group of Protestants that arose in the 16th century within the Church of England, demanding the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline: during part of the 17th century the Puritans became a powerful political party.
2.
(lowercase) a person who is strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so.
Puritan Definition Dictionary.com Find Definitions For Any Word.Get Your Free Dictionary.com Toolbar.
Ad
adjective
3.
of or pertaining to the Puritans.
4.
(lowercase) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a moral puritan; puritanical.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Puritan is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1540–50; < Late Latin pūrit(ās) purity + -an

Related forms
pu·ri·tan·like, adjective
pu·ri·tan·ly, adverb
an·ti·pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
an·ti-Pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
un·pu·ri·tan, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To puritan
Example Sentences
  • Mencken said that a puritan is someone deathly afraid that someone, somewhere, is having fun.
  • It was what brought the world the puritan work ethic.
  • Puritan society should not absolutely condemn such relationships between consenting adults, student, employee or whatever.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
puritan (ˈpjʊərɪtən)
 
—n
1.  a person who adheres to strict moral or religious principles, esp one opposed to luxury and sensual enjoyment
 
—adj
2.  characteristic of a puritan
 
[C16: from Late Latin pūritāspurity]
 
'puritanism
 
—n

Puritan ((in the late 16th and 17th centuries) ˈpjʊərɪtən)
 
—n
1.  any of the more extreme English Protestants, most of whom were Calvinists, who wished to purify the Church of England of most of its ceremony and other aspects that they deemed to be Catholic
 
—adj
2.  of, characteristic of, or relating to the Puritans
 
'Puritanism
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Puritan
1560s, "opponent of Anglican hierarchy," later applied opprobriously to "person in Church of England who seeks further reformation" (1570s), probably from purity (q.v.). After c.1590s, applied to anyone deemed overly strict in matters of religion and morals.
EXPAND
"The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators." [Thomas Babington Macaulay, "History of England," 1849]
Puritanism (1570s) was famously defined by H.L. Mencken as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy" (1920).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT