Main Entry: ¹pu·ri·tan

Pronunciation: \ˈpyu̇r-ə-tən\

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