Anabaptism

A1N1A1B3A1P3T1I1S1M3
/ænəˈbæptɪzm/

noun

The doctrine espoused by Anabaptists.

RareScrabble 16

Meanings

nounAnabaptism (countable and uncountable, plural Anabaptisms)

plural Anabaptisms

  1. countableuncountableThe doctrine espoused by Anabaptists.
    3 more examples

    1968, Cornelius Krahn, Dutch Anabaptism: Origin, Spread, Life and Thought (1450–1600), Martinus Nijhoff, page 185, Following somewhat the thesis of Vos and Mellink pertaining to the origin of Anabaptism in the Netherlands, J. F. G. Goeters has recently challenged Rembert's approach and conclusions. He points out that the actual practice of re-baptism, or adult baptism, prior to the Münster catastrophe was minimal and concludes that the early reformatory movement of the German Lower Rhine was a popular movement containing humanistic, Lutheran, and spiritualistic-sacramentarian elements. Anabaptism did not stand at the beginning of this reformation movement, according to Goeters, but entered midstream and helped to clarify concepts. It constituted a radicalization of the spiritualistic-sacramentarian movement.

    1989 [Addison Wesley Longman], Peter Limm, The Dutch Revolt 1559—1648, 2013, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), page 135, As an organised movement Anabaptism had its roots in Zurich where Conrad Grebel and others began to demand a more radical reformation than Zwingli. The distinctive features of Zurich Anabaptism were: the acknowledgement of no authority other than the Bible; the true church consisted only of the 'saints' who had undergone spiritual conversion (a conviction which led adherents to support adult baptism, a feature which gave the movement its distinctive name); withdrawal of the 'saints' from the secular community (which meant refusal to take part in government and a refusal to obey man-made laws).

    Anabaptism in South Germany and Austria had a different flavor than the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland. Whereas Anabaptism in Switzerland arose in opposition to Zwingli's slow pace of reform, Anabaptism in South Germany and Austria was shaped by the failed Peasants' War and was influenced by the apocalyptic theology of Thomas Müntzer.

    2014, Kate Eisenbise Crell, Cooperative Salvation: A Brethren View of Atonement, Wipf and Stock, page 6

Origin

  1. Koine Greekἀναβαπτισμός
  2. Latinanabaptismus
  3. EnglishAnabaptism

From Latin anabaptismus, from ecclesiastical Koine Greek ἀναβαπτισμός (anabaptismós), from ἀνα- (ana-, “re-”) + βαπτισμός (baptismós, “baptism”) (compare modern Greek αναβαπτισμός (anavaptismós)); cognate with French anabaptisme. See anabaptize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan anabaptisme
  • anabaptismedoctrine of Anabaptists
Chinese Mandarin 重浸派, 重洗派
  • 重浸派 (chóngjìnpài)doctrine of Anabaptists
  • 重洗派 (chóngxǐpài)doctrine of Anabaptists
Dutch anabaptisme
  • anabaptismedoctrine of Anabaptists
Esperanto anabaptismo
  • anabaptismodoctrine of Anabaptists
Finnish anabaptismi
  • anabaptismidoctrine of Anabaptists
French anabaptisme
  • anabaptismedoctrine of Anabaptists
German Täuferbewegung, Anabaptismus
  • Täuferbewegungdoctrine of Anabaptists
  • Anabaptismusdoctrine of Anabaptists
  • Wiedertäuferlehredoctrine of Anabaptists
Hungarian anabaptizmus
  • anabaptizmusdoctrine of Anabaptists
Indonesian Anabaptisme
  • Anabaptismedoctrine of Anabaptists
Italian anabattismo
  • anabattismodoctrine of Anabaptists
Japanese 再洗礼派
  • 再洗礼派 (saisenreiha)doctrine of Anabaptists
Polish anabaptyzm
  • anabaptyzmdoctrine of Anabaptists
Portuguese anabatismo
  • anabatismodoctrine of Anabaptists
Russian анабапти́зм
  • анабапти́зм (anabaptízm)doctrine of Anabaptists
Spanish anabaptismo
  • anabaptismodoctrine of Anabaptists
Cite this entry
APA

Anabaptism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Anabaptism

MLA

“Anabaptism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Anabaptism. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Anabaptism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Anabaptism.

Source: Anabaptism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.