Dictionary
Pi•e•tism
Pronunciation: (pī'i-tiz"um), [key]—
n.
1. a movement, originating in the Lutheran Church in Germany in the 17th century, that stressed personal piety over religious formality and orthodoxy.
2. the principles and practices of the Pietists.
3. (
l.c.) intensity of religious devotion or feeling.
4. (
l.c.) exaggeration or affectation of piety.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.