Baptist

[bap-tist] /ˈbæp tɪst/
noun
1.
a member of a Christian denomination that baptizes believers by immersion and that is usually Calvinistic in doctrine.
2.
(lowercase) a person who baptizes.
3.
the Baptist, John the Baptist.
adjective
4.
Also, Baptistic. of or pertaining to Baptists or their doctrines or practices.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English baptiste < Old French < Late Latin baptista < Greek baptistḗs, equivalent to bapt(ízein) to baptize + -istēs -ist
Related forms
non-Baptist, noun, adjective
pro-Baptist, adjective, noun
pseudo-Baptist, adjective, noun
Examples from the web for baptists
  • Sometimes they are referred to as strict and particular baptists.
  • There is a small fringe group known as the seventh day baptists.
British Dictionary definitions for baptists

Baptist

/ˈbæptɪst/
noun
1.
a member of any of various Christian sects that affirm the necessity of baptism (usually of adults and by immersion) following a personal profession of the Christian faith
2.
the Baptist, See John the Baptist
adjective
3.
denoting, relating to, or characteristic of any Christian sect that affirms the necessity of baptism following a personal profession of the Christian faith
Word Origin and History for baptists

baptist

n.

c.1200, "one who baptizes;" see baptize + -ist. As "member of a Protestant sect that believes in adult baptism by immersion" (with capital B-), attested from 1654; their opponents called them anabaptists.

baptists in Culture

Baptists definition


A group of Christian communities marked chiefly by insistence on adult baptism by immersion. Baptists regard baptism as a ceremony that accompanies and seals a conscious profession of faith in Jesus; for this reason, they do not baptize infants but wait until candidates have reached their teen or adult years. The Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the United States and are particularly insistent on the separation of church and state.