Meanings
millerite1
plural millerites
- geographyA nickel sulfide mineral, NiS, that occurs as hairlike tufts.
Millerite2
plural Millerites
- ChristianityOne who followed the calculations of William Miller or his followers that the world would end on October 22, 1844; when it did not, the Great Disappointment occurred. The subsequent denominations his movement spawned include the Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and the (Campbellite) Restorationists.
The voices of the Millerites were heard singing and shouting and exhorting each other to stand firm, and to see to it that their lamps were trimmed and burning, ready for the awful moment whenever it might come. Still - nothing happened!
1924, Clara Endicott Sears, chapter 8, in Days of Delusion - A Strange Bit of History1 more example
The first American colony in Palestine was established by a Philadelphia matron, Clorinda S. Minor, who apparently was influenced by an apocalypse-preaching movement called the Millerites, according to Mordechai Naor, an Israeli historian who has written 16 books on Palestine and is writing another on the American colonies here.
1981 October 3, William Claiborne, “U.S. Settlers in Palestine 100 Years Ago”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 Feb 2026 - A resident of any community known as Miller; often specifically a resident of Miller Beach, in Gary, Indiana
On the other hand, Millerites succeeded in resisting annexation at this time.
1979, James B. Lane, City of the Century: A History of Gary, Indiana, page 461 more example
As a Millerite living within one block from the beach, Miller Beach is truly a hidden treasure in Northwest Indiana.
2003 July 7, Ricardo Cazares, “Beauty in Gary”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016, page 15
Origin
millerite · noun
From Miller + -ite, from British mineralogist William Hallowes Miller.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
millerite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/millerite
“millerite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/millerite. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “millerite,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/millerite.
Source: millerite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.