I. ˈpyu̇rət ə n, -rəd.ən, -rətən noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from Late Latin puritas purity + English -an
1. usually capitalized : a member of a group of 16th and 17th century Protestant Christians in England opposing the traditional and formal usages of the Church of England who during the Commonwealth period (1649-59) became a powerful political party and who emigrated in large numbers to England
2. sometimes capitalized
a. : one who (as because of adherence to a religious sect) practices or preaches a more rigorous or professedly purer moral code than that which prevails
b. : one who on religious or ethical grounds inveighs against current practices, pleasures, or indulgences which he regards as lax, impure, or corrupting : precisian
she would make a puritan of the Devil — Shakespeare
II. adjective
: of or relating to puritans, the Puritans, or puritanism