Adamite
/ˈæd.ə.maɪt/noun
A member of a Christian sect associated with Adam-like innocence, often including ritual or communal nudity; Adamite is also a zinc arsenate mineral.
Did you know?Late antique and medieval writers called certain ascetic groups “Adamites” because they were said to imitate humanity’s imagined naked innocence before the Fall, although some reports may be hostile exaggerations.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
ʾādām
“Human being or humankind; also the personal name Adam”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
ʾădāmāh
“Ground or earth, traditionally associated with Adam’s formation from the soil”
Late Antiquity
Greek/Latin
Adamîtai / Adamitae
“Names for alleged Christian sectarians portrayed as imitating Adam’s original innocence, sometimes through naked worship”
Middle English
English
Adamite
“A follower or supposed follower of the Adamite sect”
17th Century
English
Adamite
“A person associated with Adamite beliefs or practices”
19th Century
French/English
adamite
“A mineral name derived from the surname of French mineralogist Gilbert-Joseph Adam, not directly from the biblical figure”
Modern English
English
Adamite
“A sectarian term and the name of a zinc arsenate mineral”