Mennonite

noun

Men·​no·​nite ˈme-nə-ˌnīt How to pronounce Mennonite (audio)
: a member of any of various Protestant groups derived from the Anabaptist movement in Holland and characterized by congregational autonomy and rejection of military service

Examples of Mennonite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Many children from the county’s Mennonite community, which numbers in the thousands, are unvaccinated, but they won’t get picked up in state tallies, because they are either homeschooled or enrolled in nonaccredited private schools, which are not required to collect such data. Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025 Sick families, mostly Mennonite, sit in a makeshift waiting room on the far left, and Dr. Ben Edwards is at a table on the far right. Erika Edwards, NBC News, 10 Mar. 2025 She was raised Mennonite and manages the West Texas Living Heritage Museum, which tells the history of this part of West Texas' Native American and Mennonite heritage. Andy Uhler, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025 The disease began spreading within the Mennonite community, an insular Christian group that settled in West Texas in the 1970s; many Mennonites are unvaccinated and vulnerable to the virus. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2025 The vaccine skeptics of Gaines County aren’t only found in the Mennonite community. Nick Watt, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 Before the outbreak, Myrick heard many concerns about vaccines, including in Gaines County’s Mennonite community, where the measles first appeared in late January. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025 During the interview, RFK Jr. noted that most of the people impacted in Texas are part of the Mennonite community, including an unvaccinated girl who tragically died. Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2025 In 2010, about one-fifth of the county's residents were believed to be part of the Mennonite faith, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German Mennonit, from Menno Simons

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Mennonite was in 1565

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Cite this Entry

“Mennonite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mennonite. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

Mennonite

noun
Men·​no·​nite ˈmen-ə-ˌnīt How to pronounce Mennonite (audio)
: a member of one of the Protestant groups founded in Holland in the 16th century and noted for dressing plainly and living simply

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