Mennonite

[ men-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈmɛn əˌnaɪt /

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noun

a member of an evangelical Protestant sect, originating in Europe in the 16th century, that opposes infant baptism, practices baptism of believers only, restricts marriage to members of the denomination, opposes war and bearing arms, and is noted for simplicity of living and plain dress.

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Origin of Mennonite

1555–65; <German Mennonit; named after Menno Simons (1492–1559), Frisian religious leader; see -ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Mennonite

Men·no·nit·ism, noun

Words nearby Mennonite

meniscus, menispermaceous, Menkure, Menlo Park, Menninger, Mennonite, Mennonites, meno, Menoeceus, Menoetius, menology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Mennonite in a sentence

I pitched up bundles from below, to an old man of sixty, who wore a fringe of grey beard, like a Mennonite.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
His wife, nominally of the Mennonite faith, was quite willing to accept her husband's creed.
Jennie Gerhardt|Theodore Dreiser
As we go round the field, the Mennonite boy talks religion, or is silent.
Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty|Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
This Mennonite was a priestess of her view of the truth and comes of endless generations of such snow-footed apostles.
Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty|Nicholas Vachel Lindsay

I was by chance taking a short respite from the sunshine, last Monday noon, on the porch of the Mennonite farmer.
Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty|Nicholas Vachel Lindsay

British Dictionary definitions for Mennonite

Mennonite

/ (ˈmɛnəˌnaɪt) /

noun

a member of a Protestant sect that rejects infant baptism, Church organization, and the doctrine of transubstantiation and in most cases refuses military service, public office, and the taking of oaths

Derived forms of Mennonite

Mennonitism, noun

Word Origin for Mennonite

C16: from German Mennonit, after Menno Simons (1496–1561), Frisian religious leader

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012