Protestantism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A religious movement within Christianity that originated in the 16th century, emphasizing personal faith and scriptural authority while critiquing Catholic doctrines
2. A branch of Christianity that developed during the Reformation, prioritizing individual interpretation of the Bible and salvation through faith rather than church rituals
3. A Christian tradition that arose in the 1500s focusing on individual belief and the Bible as central authority

Etymology: The name points back to 1529, when German princes and cities protested against the Diet of Speyer's decision to restore the ban on further reform of the Church. Their protest, Latin "protestatio," gave the followers the name "Protestants," and the Latin verb "protestari" (to declare publicly) sits behind it. The term was first applied to these reformers, and it was a label they did not choose for themselves at the outset. The word itself is simple in construction: "Protestant" plus the suffix "-ism," which English took from Greek "-ismos" through Latin and French. The suffix turns a person or group into a system of belief or practice, so "Protestantism" means the body of doctrine and practice that the Protestants held. The base word arrived in English from French "protestant," the same form that gave us "protest" as a verb and noun.

Synonyms: Protestant faith, Reformation, Protestant religion