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Athanasian

[ath-uh-ney-zhuh n]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to Athanasius or to the doctrines ascribed to him.
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noun
  1. Theology. a follower of Athanasius or a believer in the Athanasian Creed.
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Origin of Athanasian

First recorded in 1580–90; Athanasi(us) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for athanasian

Historical Examples

  • And in this Trinity "none is afore or after the other," which recalls the Athanasian Creed.

    War and the Weird

    Forbes Phillips

  • It is needless to say that Tiny had been to church and heard the Athanasian Creed.

  • You must know, surely, that I did not use to be an Athanasian, or even a Waterlandian.

    Christmas Evans

    Paxton Hood

  • The Athanasian Creed is not objectionable because of its damnatory clauses.

  • It was a century later that the dogma was defined in its Athanasian form.

    The Religious Sentiment

    Daniel G. Brinton

Word Origin and History for athanasian

Athanasian

adj.

1580s, from Athanasius, archbishop of Alexandria in the reign of Constantine. The name is Latin, from Greek Athanasios, from athanatos "immortal," from a- "not," privative prefix, + thanatos "death."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper