Wesleyan
- noun
- /ˈwɛzliən/
- She was raised as a Wesleyan and cherished the denomination's emphasis on holiness.
Examples
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Many Wesleyans gather every Sunday for worship.
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In the 19th century, many Wesleyans were active in social reform movements.
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His grandfather was a dedicated Wesleyan who rarely missed church services.
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Is she a Wesleyan or a Baptist?
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His grandfather was a dedicated Wesleyan who rarely missed church services.
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In the 19th century, many Wesleyans were active in social reform movements.
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She was raised as a Wesleyan and cherished the denomination's emphasis on holiness.
Synonyms
People who follow the Christian teachings of John Wesley and belong to churches of his movement
Compounds
People who follow the Christian teachings of John Wesley and belong to churches of his movement
How Committed
Surface Forms
Morphology
Wesleyan = Wesley (transparent) = Wesley + an
Formed by the productive English suffix '-an' attached to the name 'Wesley' to indicate belonging or relation; meaning 'a follower/supporter' is the straightforward agent/affiliation reading.
Etymology
Wesleyan comes from the name Wesley (John Wesley, a church leader in the 1700s) plus the ending -an, which means 'related to' or 'from'. So a Wesleyan is a person who follows Wesley's ideas or supports the Methodist movement, which is why the word means a follower of Wesleyanism.