Methodist
/ˈmeθ.ə.dɪst/noun
A member of a Christian tradition originating in the eighteenth-century revival associated with John Wesley and Charles Wesley.
Did you know?Oxford students originally used “Methodists” sarcastically for John Wesley’s group because of their highly methodical prayer, study, fasting, and charitable practices.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sent-
“To go, head toward, or make one’s way; the proposed ancestral root behind Greek words for a route or journey.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
methodos
“A pursuit, investigation, or systematic way of inquiry; literally formed from meta, “after” or “along,” and hodos, “way.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
methodikos
“Methodical or pertaining to a method.”
Late Greek
Greek
methodistēs
“A person who proceeds methodically; an agent noun formed with the suffix -istēs.”
Early 18th Century
English
Methodist
“A nickname for members of John Wesley’s disciplined religious circle at Oxford, used partly in mockery.”
Modern English
English
Methodist
“A member of the Methodist Christian movement or its denominations.”