<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>a movement, originating in the Lutheran Church in Germany in the 17th century, that stressed personal piety over religious formality and orthodoxy.</li><li>the principles and practices of the Pietists.</li><li>(lowercase) intensity of religious devotion or feeling.</li><li>(lowercase) exaggeration or affectation of piety.</li><li>Synonyms: sanctimony.</li></ul>