Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Puritan \Pu"ri*tan\, n. [From {Purity}.]
   1. (Eccl. Hist.) One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and
      the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal
      usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship
      than those established by law; -- originally, a term of
      reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early
      population of New England.

   Note: The Puritans were afterward distinguished as Political
         Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans in
         Discipline. --Hume.

   2. One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; --
      often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has
      overstrict notions.

            She would make a puritan of the devil. --Shak.

Puritan \Pu"ri*tan\, a.
   Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or
   characteristic of, the Puritans.

Source : WordNet®

puritan
     n 1: adheres to strict religious principles; opposed to sensual
          pleasures
     2: a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
        [syn: {prude}]

puritan
     adj : morally rigorous and strict; "blue laws"; "the puritan work
           ethic"; "puritanic distaste for alcohol"; "she was
           anything but puritanical in her behavior" [syn: {blue(a)},
            {puritanic}, {puritanical}]