of or characteristic of Thomas Jefferson or his democratic principles
noun
2.
a follower of Thomas Jefferson
Derived forms
Jeffersonianism (ˌJefferˈsonianˌism)
noun
Jeffersonian in American English
(ˌdʒefərˈsouniən)
adjective
1.
pertaining to or advocating the political principles and doctrines of Thomas Jefferson, esp. those stressing minimum control by the central government, the inalienable rights of the individual, and the superiority of an agrarian economy and rural society
noun
2.
a supporter of Thomas Jefferson or Jeffersonianism
Derived forms
Jeffersonianism
noun
Word origin
[1790–1800, Amer.; jefferson + -ian]This word is first recorded in the period 1790–1800. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: backhanded, echelon, infiltration, modular, stereotype-ian is a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nounsdenoting places (Italian) or persons (Flavian), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern.Attached to geographical names, it denotes provenance or membership (Washingtonian), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations,etc. (Episcopalian; pedestrian). Attached to personal names, it has the additional senses “contemporary with” ( Victorian) or “proponent of” (Hegelian; Freudian) the person specified by the noun base. It also occurs in a set of personal nouns,mainly loanwords from French, denoting one who engages in, practices, or works withthe referent of the base noun (comedian; grammarian; theologian)