PURITAN
Pu"ri*tan, n. Etym: [From Purity.]
1. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; — originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England.
Note: The Puritans were afterward distinguished as Political
Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans in Discipline. Hume.
2. One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; — often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions. She would make a puritan of the devil. Shak.
PURITAN
Pu"ri*tan, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans.
PURITANIC; PURITANICAL
Pu`ri*tan"ic, Pu`ri*tan"ic*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the Puritans, or to their doctrines and practice.
2. Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid; — often used by way of reproach or contempt. Paritanical circles, from which plays and novels were strictly excluded. Macaulay. He had all the puritanic traits, both good and evil. Hawthorne.