Dictionary.com
definitions

reformation

[ref-er-mey-shuhn]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reformation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of reforming; state of being reformed.
(initial capital letter) the religious movement in the 16th century that had for its object the reform of the Roman Catholic Church, and that led to the establishment of the Protestant churches.

RELATED CONTENT

Why Do We Have Leap Year?Even though the standard calendar year is 365 days, the Earth actually takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. (This is called a solar year.) In order to keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is (usually) added every four years as February 29th. The Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar in …
READ MORE
Before Mel Gibson’s rant, what was the word’s link to a religious mystery?Mel Gibson sure seems to have a problem with vulgar tirades. Vulgar used to mean “of the common people” before it acquired the sense of “off-color.” And a tirade literally derives from the French tirare, “to pull continuously.” The actor’s ex-girlfriend is making tabloid headlines with claims that she has a recording of the troubled actor engaging ina racist, hate-filled harangue against her. This follows his infamous intoxicated rant …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

transformation, renewal, reorganization, realignment, rebirth, abolition, amendment, reform, correction, alteration, improvement, reconstruction, rehabilitation, rearrangement, renovation, change, restoration, recovery, repeal, reawakening

Nearby words

  1. reform jew,
  2. reform judaism,
  3. reform school,
  4. reformable,
  5. reformate,
  6. reformatory,
  7. reformed,
  8. reformed church in america,
  9. reformed spelling,
  10. reformer

Origin of reformation

1375–1425; late Middle English reformacion < Latin refōrmātiōn- (stem of refōrmātiō), equivalent to refōrmāt(us) (past participle of refōrmāre to reform) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reformation

British Dictionary definitions for reformation

reformation

noun

the act or an instance of reforming or the state of being reformed
Derived Formsreformational, adjective

Reformation

noun

a religious and political movement of 16th-century Europe that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant Churches
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
Word Origin and History for reformation

reformation

n.

"improvement, alteration for the better," late 14c., "restoration;" mid-15c., "improvement," from Old French reformacion and directly from Latin reformationem (nominative reformatio), noun of action from past participle stem of reformare (see reform (v.)). In reference to the European religious movement, it is attested by 1540s, borrowed from Luther. The movement began as a bid to reform doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for reformation

Reformation

A religious movement in the sixteenth century that began as an attempted reform of the Roman Catholic Church but resulted in the founding of Protestant churches separate from it. Some of the leaders of the Reformation were Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. The Reformation was established in England after King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Christian Church in that country.

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.