Puritanus

Puritanus is a Latin adjective used in Latin-language texts to convey the sense of “Puritan” or “puritanical,” and it also appears in Latinized form in scientific and historical nomenclature. In classical and medieval usage, it functions to describe persons, traits, or groups associated with Puritan-like moral strictness or with Puritans themselves when discussing early modern religious movements.

The word has three gendered forms: puritanus (masculine), puritana (feminine), and puritanum (neuter). In taxonomic naming, puritanus commonly serves as a masculine species epithet and must agree with the genus name in gender; corresponding feminine and neuter forms appear in other species’ epithets.

In scholarly writing, puritanus can describe Puritan beliefs or practices in Latin-language discussions of religious history. It may also occur in translations or glossaries that refer to Puritanism or Puritan figures. The use of puritanus as a proper noun is rare and typically limited to Latinized surnames or place-names in historical documents rather than in contemporary usage.

See also: Puritanism; Latin adjectives; Taxonomic epithets.