Grahamites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People who adhered to the dietary principles advocated by Sylvester Graham, emphasizing whole grain flour and vegetarian foods
2. Adherents of Sylvester Graham's nutritional philosophy that promoted simple, unrefined foods and abstinence from meat
3. Believers in and practitioners of the Graham system of diet, which stressed whole grains and plant-based nutrition

Etymology: The word is the plural of "Grahamite," and its history is a matter of straightforward formation rather than a dramatic story. "Graham" is the surname of the people or figure it names, and the "-ite" ending, which English took through French from Latin "-ites" and ultimately from Greek "-ītēs," is a suffix used to form nouns for followers, members, or adherents of a person or movement. Words built this way, such as "Mormonite" or "Luddite," follow the same pattern. So a Grahamite is someone who follows or belongs to a group associated with a person named Graham. The plural "grahamites" simply refers to several such followers at once. The suffix does the work of turning a personal name into a label for a group, which is why the same pattern has been used so often in English for religious sects, political factions, and reform movements.