Puritan

The Puritans were members of a group of English Protestants seeking further reforms or even separation from the established church during the Reformation.

Orthography

In the United States, "Puritan" was not the only acceptable spelling. Through the twentieth century, British English had "Puritain" as an acceptable alternative spelling. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century in England, the word was spelled both with and without the second i. The "Puritain" spelling was more common in the sixteenth century. The word derives from "purity," in English, and the third syllable formation can be justifiably spelled -ain or -an, depending upon which language one derives "dweller"/"practitioner" from.

Related Topics:
United States - British English

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