Schwenkfelder

[ shfengk-fel-der, shvengk- ]

noun

1. a member of a Protestant group that emigrated in 1734 from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania, where they organized the Schwenkfelder Church.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Schwenkfelder¹

1780–90, Americanism; < German, after Kaspar von Schwenkfeld (1490–1561), German mystic; -er ¹

Example Sentences

His family was descended from members of the Schwenkfelder Church who came to the United States in the 18th century, fleeing persecution in Germany.

From Washington Post

Our Schwenkfelder Church now has about 2,000 members, with five separate churches all located in the Montgomery County-Philadelphia area.

From Time Magazine Archive

Their descendents there preserve the customs of their fathers, and are the only representatives of the Schwenkfelder form of doctrine, the sect having become extinct in Europe.

From Project Gutenberg