Jehovah's Witnesses
17
5.7
- noun
- /dʒɪˈhoʊvəʤ ˈwɪtnəsɪz/
- Many Jehovah's Witnesses choose to abstain from military service due to their religious convictions.
- Jehovah's Witnesses case
Examples
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At one time, members of the Jehovah's Witnesses could leave the church in one of two ways.
Academic text (1991) -
I mean, both my parents are Jehovah's Witnesses.
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We received an email from a current Jehovah's Witness called Bonnie.
Blog text (2) -
Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses do not allow blood transfusions to be given for any reason.
Academic text (1990) -
The Jehovah's Witnesses are at the door, three of them, cheerful beyond decency.
Fiction book (1997) -
Indeed, with the possible exception of their constantly evolving policy on blood transfusions, Jehovah's Witnesses are probably better known for their door-to-door proselytizing than for anything else.
Academic text (2010) -
One of the main beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses is their emphasis on door-to-door evangelism.
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As a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, she participated in community outreach programs every weekend.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Jehovah's + witness
The phrase combines the proper name 'Jehovah' (a divine name) with 'witnesses' (people who bear testimony), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to people who witness for Jehovah — i.e., a religious group. While finer denominational or historical details require cultural knowledge, the core meaning ‘followers/people associated with Jehovah’ is compositionally derivable.
Etymology
Jehovah's Witnesses comes from the words Jehovah, a name for God, and witnesses, meaning people who tell others about their faith, so they chose the name to show they speak for God. That's why today Jehovah's Witnesses means a religious group known for going door-to-door to share their beliefs.