The Language of Quakers: idioms, words and abbreviations

Abstract

The paper examines some of the words and expressions that have distinguished the members of the Quaker movement and helped to establish their religious identity. The Quaker lexicon has not remained unaltered in the course of three centuries. As is typical of most religious movements, also the Quakers have continually been adapting to social and cultural changes. This explains the existence of four relatively recent glossaries that account for the Quaker terms used in the twentieth century. The paper pays particular attention to "One Explorer's Glossary of Quaker Terms" by Warren Sylvester Smith (1985).