Luther

American  

[loo-ther, loot-uhr] / ˈlu θər, ˈlʊt ər /

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.”

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Luther British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Lutherism
  noun

Example Sentences

"That's where Martin Luther King made his great speech," Trump said.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Going all the way back to the court’s 1849 decision in Luther v.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026

The 53-year-old, known for US crime series The Wire and police drama Luther, was awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours for services to young people.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

“Since the 1990s, America’s classrooms have turned Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks into sacred Civil Rights icons,” he says.

From Salon • May 20, 2026

The book continues to be the focal point of study and debate by scholars and was once described by Martin Luther King Jr. as the “historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander