Society of Friends
1
6.3
- proper noun
:
Sociedad de los Amigos
- To be a Quaker means that at some level we probably love and are committed to the Religious Society of Friends.
- the Religious Society of Friends
Examples
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In the 17th century, the Society of Friends was established as a Christian group advocating for simplicity and equality.
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In the 1600s, George Fox started a movement in Northern England that became known as the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers.
Blog text (29) -
I am one of the Society of Friends.
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I am of the Society of Friends.
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Probably, the Society of Friends thinks that consensus does the most good among the options open to them.
Blog text (5) -
Does the Religious Society of Friends feel led to have a vibrant traveling ministry?
Blog text (26) -
Indeed, the Society of Friends does not practice formal sacraments, considering all dimensions of life to be holy.
Academic text (2015) -
For years, I've been fascinated by the Quakers, or the Society of Friends.
Blog text (19) -
Four new members, one each from the Presbyterian, Methodist-Episcopal, and Episcopal churches and the Society of Friends, were added.
Academic text (1990) -
Six responses to BEM were received from Canada: the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada, and the Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.
Academic text (2015)
Synonyms
1
7.1
A Christian group also called Quakers who value peace and simple living
How Supportive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'society' (an association) and 'Friends' (people who are friends) yield a plausible literal reading of 'an association of friends,' so a learner can partially reconstruct the idea of a group. However, as a capitalized proper name it refers specifically to the historical Christian denomination (the Quakers), a culturally specific sense that is not predictable from the parts and requires prior knowledge, making the expression only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Society of Friends comes from the group's early members who wanted a simple name to show they were friends with each other and with God, so they used Friends as the key word. They chose this plain style instead of church titles, and that's why the name now refers to the religious group often called 'Quakers'.