definitions

Quaker

[ kwey-ker ]
/ ˈkweɪ kər /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Quaker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a popular name for a member of the Religious Society of Friends.

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RELATED WORDS

upheaval, shock, temblor, shake, seism, tremor, convulsion, aftershock, undulation, slip, fault, quake, movement, microseism, trembler, tremblor, seismism

Origin of Quaker

First recorded in 1590–1600; quake + -er1

Related forms

Quak·er·ish, Quak·er·like, adjectivenon-Quak·er, noun, adjectivenon-Quak·er·ish, adjectivepro-Quak·er, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quaker

British Dictionary definitions for quaker

Quaker

/ (ˈkweɪkə) /

noun

a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1650, whose central belief is the doctrine of the Inner Light. Quakers reject sacraments, ritual, and formal ministry, hold meetings at which any member may speak, and have promoted many causes for social reform

adjective

of, relating to, or designating the Religious Society of Friends or its religious beliefs or practices

Derived Forms

Quakeress, fem nQuakerish, adjectiveQuakerism, noun

Word Origin for Quaker

C17: originally a derogatory nickname, alluding either to their alleged ecstatic fits, or to George Fox's injunction to " quake at the word of the Lord"
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

Culture definitions for quaker

Quaker

A member of the Religious Society of Friends. The Quakers are a group of Christians (see also Christian) who use no scripture and believe in great simplicity in daily life and in worship. Their services consist mainly of silent meditation.

Note

Quakers have traditionally been committed to pacifism.

Note

Pennsylvania was settled by a group of Quakers fleeing religious persecution.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.