A religious movement in the 16th century that believed in baptizing adult believers rather than infants, rejecting the baptisms performed by other Christian churches.
From Greek 'ana-' (again) + 'baptizo' (to baptize). The term was coined by opponents of the movement to mock their practice of rebaptizing converts. It literally means 'rebaptism' and carries the meaning of redoing something already done.
Anabaptists were so controversial that both Catholic and Protestant authorities executed them for their beliefs—making them some of the first religious minorities persecuted by multiple sides in European history. Their insistence on 'believer's baptism' directly influenced modern Baptist, Mennonite, and Amish churches.
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