Millerite
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A nickel sulfide mineral, NiS, that occurs as hairlike tufts.
- 2 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 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!"
- 3 a yellow mineral consisting of nickel sulfide; a minor source of nickel wordnet
- 4 A resident of any community known as Miller; often specifically a resident of Miller Beach, in Gary, Indiana
"On the other hand, Millerites succeeded in resisting annexation at this time."
Example
More examples"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!"
Etymology
From Miller + -ite, from British mineralogist William Hallowes Miller.
From Miller + -ite.
Related phrases
More for "millerite"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.