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Glite Dictionary
🚫 Strictly self-denying 🚫 A strict abstainer
encratite

encratite

9.9
A person who avoids marriage and wine for religious reasons
  • noun
  • /ˈɛnkrəˌtaɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : encratita
  • As an encratite, he abstained from wine and marriage to pursue spiritual purity.

Examples

  • Historians study the beliefs and practices of the encratite sect in early Christianity.

  • The encratite community was known for its strict rules against indulgence.

  • The encratite lifestyle often involved rigorous fasting.

  • Many encratites rejected the pleasures of the world.

  • The encratite believed that abstaining from wine was essential for spiritual growth.

  • As an encratite, she devoted her life to self-denial and avoided all earthly pleasures.

  • Members of the encratite sect often gathered to discuss their strict beliefs about marriage and food.

Surface Forms

encratite singular
encratites plural

Morphology

encratite = encrat (opaque) = encrat + ite

Formation is by the suffix '-ite' meaning 'member of', but the stem 'encrat' is not a recognizable English base and thus the meaning is not predictable for learners.

Etymology

Encratite comes from the Greek enkrateia, which means 'self-control', and it was the name of an early Christian group who avoided wine and marriage to live simply. So an encratite is a person who chooses strict self-denial.