Luther

[loo-ther, loot-uhr]

noun

1. Martin 1483–1546, German theologian and author: leader, in Germany, of the Protestant Reformation.

2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning “famous” and “army.”

Luther

/ ˈluːθə /

noun

1. Martin. 1483–1546, German leader of the Protestant Reformation. As professor of biblical theology at Wittenberg University from 1511, he began preaching the crucial doctrine of justification by faith rather than by works, and in 1517 he nailed 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg, attacking Tetzel's sale of indulgences. He was excommunicated and outlawed by the Diet of Worms (1521) as a result of his refusal to recant, but he was protected in Wartburg Castle by Frederick III of Saxony (1521–22). He translated the Bible into German (1521–34) and approved Melanchthon's Augsburg Confession (1530), defining the basic tenets of Lutheranism

Other Word Forms

• Lutherism noun

Example Sentences

“I mean, Luther said ‘Never too much,’ right,” the singer and actor told Sherri Shepherd, quoting Luther Vandross, after the host asked her if she had a stomachache from all the sweetness.

From Los Angeles Times

Among liberals, Martin Luther King Jr. experienced a comparable transformation, though it took a different form.

From Salon

With emerging weapons such as Luther Burden III, the Bears’ offense should find enough big plays to win a tight one.

From Los Angeles Times

The then-45-year-old, an employee at the Martin Luther King Jr. Ambulatory Surgery Center, felt constantly fatigued with little appetite.

From Los Angeles Times

Some have gone so far to compare him to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom Kirk called a “bad guy.”

From Salon