Pu"ri*tan (?), n. [From Purity.]
1. (Eccl. Hist.) One who, in the time of
Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and
formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than
those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The
Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New
England.
&fist; The Puritans were afterward distinguished as
Political Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans
in Discipline. Hume.
2. One who is scrupulous and strict in his
religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who
has overstrict notions.
She would make a puritan of the
devil.
Shak.
Pu"ri*tan, a. Of or pertaining to
the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the
Puritans.
