Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

old believer

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.67 in modern English

Syllables
old -be-liev-er
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of those who separated from the official Russian Orthodox Church after 1666 as a protest against the church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652 and 1666. They continue liturgical and ritual practices which predate the reforms.

Etymology

Calque of Russian старове́р (starovér).

Inflected Forms

Old Believers (plural)

Synonyms

Old Ritualist Raskolnik Rascolnik

Antonyms

Nikonite Nikonian

Questions

What does old believer mean?
Any of those who separated from the official Russian Orthodox Church after 1666 as a protest against the church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652 and 1666. They continue liturgical and ritual practices which predate the reforms.
Where does old believer come from?
Calque of Russian старове́р (starovér).

How to pronounce old believer

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “old believer”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “old believer” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.