Dictionary

Millerite en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree English Miller Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)der. Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs)der. Latin -ītēslbor. French -iteder. English -ite English Millerite From Miller + -ite.

Meanings

1. One who followed the calculations of William Miller or his followers that the world would end on October 22, 1844; when it did not, the Great Disappointment occurred. The subsequent denominations his movement spawned include the Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and the (Campbellite) Restorationists.
   • The first American colony in Palestine was established by a Philadelphia matron, Clorinda S. Minor, who apparently was influenced by an apocalypse-preaching movement called the Millerites, according to Mordechai Naor, an Israeli historian who has written 16 books on Palestine and is writing another on the American colonies here. 1981 October 3, William Claiborne, “U.S. Settlers in Palestine 100 Years Ago”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 Feb 2026:
   • The voices of the Millerites were heard singing and shouting and exhorting each other to stand firm, and to see to it that their lamps were trimmed and burning, ready for the awful moment whenever it might come. Still - nothing happened! 1924, Clara Endicott Sears, chapter 8, in Days of Delusion - A Strange Bit of History:
2. A resident of any community known as Miller; often specifically a resident of Miller Beach, in Gary, Indiana
   • As a Millerite living within one block from the beach, Miller Beach is truly a hidden treasure in Northwest Indiana. 2003 July 7, Ricardo Cazares, “Beauty in Gary”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016, page 15:
   • On the other hand, Millerites succeeded in resisting annexation at this time. 1979, James B. Lane, City of the Century: A History of Gary, Indiana, page 46:

Forms