presbyterianism
UK /ˌpɹɛz.bɪˈtɪə.ɹɪə.nɪ.zəm/ · US /ˌpɹɛz.bɪˈtɪɹ.iə.nɪ.zəm/ noun
- noun That form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively.
- noun A form of Protestant Christianity based on Calvinism.
- noun A form of Christian church government characterized by rule by bodies of presbyters or elders.
Etymology
Cf. F. presbytérianisme.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “presbyterianism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details