Anglicans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collective of individuals adhering to a Protestant denomination that originates from the Church of England, featuring a mix of Catholic and Reformed traditions
2. Followers of a Christian faith that emphasizes the authority of scripture and the importance of sacraments, primarily associated with the Church of England
3. People who belong to a Christian community tracing its roots to the Church of England and combining traditions from both Catholicism and Protestantism

Etymology: "Anglicans" is the plural of "Anglican," which in turn comes from Medieval Latin "Anglicanus," built from "anglicus" (meaning "English" or "Englishman") and the suffix "-anus," which forms adjectives meaning "of or belonging to." So the word's core is simply "of the English," stretched to cover a religious community. The link to the English church is what gives the word its specific sense. Members of the Church of England, and churches in communion with it, came to be called Anglicans, a name that marks them by nationality rather than by a founder or a doctrine. The English word entered through learned Latin usage rather than everyday speech, which is why its ending looks so classical next to older native words for the same people.