Peculiar People

English

Etymology

In reference to any of several places in the Bible where "a peculiar people", a people set apart from others, is mentioned, such as Deuteronomy 14:2, 1 Peter 2:9, and Titus 2:14: for example, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 14:2).

Noun

Peculiar People pl (plural only)

1. (Christianity) Any of several Christian sects who have used this biblical description as a self-appellation, as:
   2. The Quakers.
   4. The Amish.
   6. (historical) A Christian movement, originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford, Essex.

Related terms

• Chosen People