Pentecostal

[pen-ti-kaw-stuhl, -stl, -kos-tuhl, -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.

noun

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

Pentecostal

/ 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

noun

1. a member of a Pentecostal Church

Other Word Forms

• post-Pentecostal adjective
• Pentecostalist noun
• Pentecostalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pentecostal¹

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

Example Sentences

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.

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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.

Read more on Salon

The son of a Pentecostal minister, D'Angelo was born in Richmond, Virginia, and taught himself to play piano at the age of three.

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His still-strong tenor was reserved for belting gospel songs at the Pentecostal church he attended.

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Growing up in a slum of Washington, D.C., he had inherited his father’s harsh Pentecostal Christianity and his notions of discipline, heaven and hell.

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