n.
Pronunciation: ' pyu ̇ r- ə -t ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from Late Latin puritas purity
Date: circa 1567
1 capitalized : a member of a 16th and 17th century Protestant group in England and New England opposing as unscriptural the ceremonial worship and the prelacy of the Church of England
2 : one who practices or preaches a more rigorous or professedly purer moral code than that which prevails