chiliasm

noun

chil·​i·​asm ˈki-lē-ˌa-zəm How to pronounce chiliasm (audio)
: millenarianism
chiliast
ˈki-lē-ˌast How to pronounce chiliasm (audio)
-lē-əst
noun
chiliastic
ˌki-lē-ˈa-stik How to pronounce chiliasm (audio)
adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin chiliasmus, from Late Latin chiliastes one that believes in chiliasm, from chilias

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chiliasm was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near chiliasm

chiliarch

chiliasm

chiliburger

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Chiliasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chiliasm. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on chiliasm

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chiliasm

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
silhouette of a man with a megaphone against a british flag
Another Great British Vocabulary Quiz, Innit? A double-decker quiz with words from across the pond