Amish

adjective

ˈä-mish  ˈa- 

ˈā-

: of or relating to a strict sect of Mennonites who were followers of Amman and settled in America chiefly in the 18th century

Amish noun

Examples of Amish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors? —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025

The economist Robin Hanson’s back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that twenty-third-century America will be dominated by three hundred million Amish people. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

Hat Trick International Key Shows Coming Out Amish – Feature length documentary offering a unique, intimate look into the untold story of a gay Amish man on a courageous journey to come out. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025

Because of the different habits and ancestry of the separate Amish communities, research on all Amish people is hard to locate. —Nate Trela, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German amisch, from Jacob Amman died before 1730 Swiss Mennonite elder + -isch -ish

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Amish

adjective

ˈäm-ish  ˈam- 

ˈām-

: of or relating to the Mennonites who were followers of Amman and settled in America

Amish noun

Etymology

probably from German amisch, from Jacob Amman or Amen, flourished 1693–97, Swiss Mennonite bishop