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An·a·bap·tist

(ăn′ə-băptĭst)

An adherent of a Protestant religious movement that began in 16th-century Europe, viewing baptism solely as an external sign of a believer's conscious acceptance of faith, rejecting infant baptism, advocating the separation of church from state, and practicing simple living and the shunning of nonbelievers.

[From Late Greek anabaptizein, to baptize again : Greek ana-, ana- + Greek baptizein, to baptize (from baptein, to dip).]

An′a·baptism n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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