zealot
[ zel-uht ]
/ ˈzɛl ət /
noun
a person who shows zeal.
an excessively zealous person; fanatic.
(initial capital letter)
a member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.
Origin of zealot
1530–40; earlier
zelote < Late Latin
zēlōtēs < Greek
zēlṓtēs, equivalent to
zēlō- (variant stem of
zēloûn to be zealous; see
zeal) +
-tēs agent suffix
SYNONYMS FOR zealot
OTHER WORDS FROM zealot
un·der·zeal·ot, nounExample sentences from the Web for zealot
British Dictionary definitions for zealot (1 of 2)
zealot
/ (ˈzɛlət) /
noun
an immoderate, fanatical, or extremely zealous adherent to a cause, esp a religious one
Word Origin for zealot
C16: from Late Latin
zēlōtēs, from Greek, from
zēloun to be zealous, from
zēlos
zeal
British Dictionary definitions for zealot (2 of 2)
Zealot
/ (ˈzɛlət) /
noun
any of the members of an extreme Jewish sect or political party that resisted all aspects of Roman rule in Palestine in the 1st century ad