Anabaptist

[ an-uh-bap-tist ]

noun

1. a member or descendant of a member of any of various Christian sects formed in Europe after 1520 that denied the validity of infant baptism, baptized believers only, emphasized simplicity and nonviolence, and advocated social and economic reforms as well as the complete separation of church and state.
2. Archaic. Baptist ( def 1 ).

adjective

1. of or relating to Anabaptists or Anabaptism:

   The book traces the origin of Anabaptist groups such as the Mennonites and Amish.

Anabaptist

/ ˌænəˈbæptɪst /

noun

1. a member of any of various 16th-century Protestant movements that rejected infant baptism, insisted that adults be rebaptized, and sought to establish Christian communism
2. a member of a later Protestant sect holding the same doctrines, esp with regard to baptism

adjective

1. of or relating to these movements or sects or their doctrines

Derived Forms

• ˌAnaˈbaptism, noun

Other Words From

• An·a·bap·tism noun
• An·a·bap·tis·ti·cal·ly [an-, uh, -bap-, tis, -tik-lee], adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of Anabaptist¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from New Latin anabaptista, from Medieval Latin anabapt(īzāre) “to rebaptize,” from Late Greek anabaptī́zein; ana-, baptize + -ista -ist

Word History and Origins

Origin of Anabaptist¹

C16: from Ecclesiastical Latin anabaptista, from anabaptīzāre to baptize again, from Late Greek anabaptizein; see ana- , baptize

Example Sentences

It’s quite a historical twist, since “religious freedom is absolutely a core value of Anabaptists,” the Examiner wrote.

From Salon

The Amish generally follow basic Christian beliefs and practices but are not homogeneous, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

From Seattle Times

At 20, he had been ordained a minister of the Church of the Brethren, an Anabaptist denomination, and the news media had reflexively called him the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor.

From New York Times

Hutterites, an Anabaptist Christian group, said they were subject to “cultural and religious profiling” after provincial governments in Canada “publicized” outbreaks in their communities, the report noted.

From Washington Times

The clothes on display represented various branches of the conservative Anabaptist tradition, which include Amish, Mennonite, Brethren and Charity.

From Seattle Times