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In ancient Greek, pentekoste meant "fiftieth day"—that is, the fiftieth day after Easter (counting Easter itself). On that day, Christians celebrate an event described in the Bible that took place fifty days after Christ's resurrection, when the apostles heard the rush of a mighty wind, saw tongues of fire descending on them, and heard the Holy Spirit speaking from their own mouths but in other tongues (languages). "Speaking in tongues", when everyone in a congregation may begin talking in languages that no one can understand, is the best-known practice of Pentecostals. Pentecostals belong to many different denominations; with growing numbers especially in Latin America and Africa, there may be over 500 million Pentecostals worldwide.
Examples of Pentecostal in a Sentence
Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 1 May 2025
Bowen grew up in a Pentecostal household and is currently married to a Pentecostal pastor.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2025
In Uppsala’s Pentecostal Church, a partner in the night football initiative, before the boys rush up to him for autographs, Persson talks to them about his life as a professional soccer player.
—Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pentecostal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pentecostal. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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