Naz·a·rene / ˈnazəˌrēn/ • n. 1. a native or inhabitant of Nazareth. ∎  (the Nazarene) Jesus Christ. ∎  (chiefly in Jewish or Muslim use) a Christian. ∎  a member of an early sect or faction of Jewish Christians, esp. one in 4th-century Syria using an Aramaic version of the Gospels and observing much of the Jewish law. ∎  a member of the Church of the Nazarene, a Christian Protestant denomination originating in the American holiness movement.2. a member of a group of German painters working mainly in Rome who from 1809 sought to revive the art and techniques of medieval Germany and early Renaissance Italy.• adj. of or relating to Nazareth or Nazarenes.

Nazarene. Term used in various senses.1 It is an epithet for Jesus, usually understood to mean ‘of Nazareth’ (e.g. Acts 10. 38), but its origin and meaning are obscure.2 ‘Nazarenes’ (or Heb., Noṣerim) appears as a Jewish term for Christians in early times.3 Jewish Christian groups called ‘Nazarenes’, perhaps related to the Ebionites, are mentioned by some 4th-cent. writers.4 The Mandeans are described as ‘Nasoreans’ in some of their early writings.