Those who adhered to the doctrine of Luther; so called because, in 1529, they protested against a decree of the emperor Charles V. and of the diet of Spires, and declared that they appealed to a general council. The name is now applied indiscriminately to all the sects, of whatever denomination , who have seceded from the Church of Rome. Enc. Lond. See Hale v. Everett, 53 N. II. 9. 10 Am. Rep. 82; Appeal of Tappan, 52 Conn. 413.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
