Pentecostal

American  

[pen-ti-kaw-stuhl, -stl, -kos-tuhl, -tl-] / ˌpɛn tɪˈkɔ stəl, -stl, -ˈkɒs təl, -tl- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Pentecost, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles.

2. noting or relating to any of various Christian groups, usually fundamentalist, that emphasize the activity of the Holy Spirit, stress holiness of living, and express their religious feelings uninhibitedly, as by speaking in tongues.

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noun

1. Also called Pentecostalist.  a member of any Pentecostal denomination.

Pentecostal British  

/ ˌpɛntɪˈkɒstəl /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal) of or relating to any of various Christian groups that emphasize the charismatic aspects of Christianity and adopt a fundamental attitude to the Bible

2. of or relating to Pentecost or the influence of the Holy Ghost

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noun

1. a member of a Pentecostal Church

Other Word Forms

• Pentecostalism noun
• Pentecostalist noun
• post-Pentecostal adjective

Etymology

Origin of Pentecostal

From the Late Latin word pentēcostālis, dating back to 1540–50. See Pentecost, -al ¹

Example Sentences

The child of a Pentecostal school principal raised outside Portland, Ore., Waggoner grew up witnessing tension between religious groups and a progressive local government.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was, too, genuinely called to her Pentecostal Christianity, at least at first, which author Claire Hoffman writes about with great sensitivity.

From Los Angeles Times

Tinubu—a Muslim married to one of Nigeria’s most prominent Christian Pentecostal preachers—debated traveling to Washington, to explain the complex religious tapestry of a country evenly split between both faiths, Nigerian officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their parents had come from the Caribbean but "did not get a warm welcome" and went on to contribute to the growth of Pentecostal churches in the UK, she said.

From BBC

The son of a Pentecostal preacher, he revealed in a 2014 GQ interview with Amy Wallace that he taught himself to play Earth, Wind & Fire‘s “Boogie Wonderland” at the age of 4.

From Salon