OrdnungUnwritten rules governing community life. Regulates everything: clothing, technology, behavior.
GelassenheitHumility, yielding, surrender of self to God and community. Core concept of Amish life.
Rumspringa"Running around" — period (16-22) when teens may try worldly life before baptism.
MeidungShunning — excommunication from community. No one speaks to or eats with the shunned.
AusbundOldest Protestant hymnal (1564). Used at every Sunday service.
Lob Lied"Praise Song" — second hymn at every Sunday service. Sung for 460 years.
Dawdy HausGrandfather's house — addition to son's house where elderly parents move.
Barn RaisingBuilding a barn in one day by community effort (150-200 men).
BuggyHorse-drawn carriage — primary Amish transportation.
Plain PeopleUmbrella term for Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites.
EnglishAll non-Amish people. Even Germans or Japanese — everyone is "English" to the Amish.
Old OrderMost common Amish group. No electricity, no cars.
New OrderMore progressive: electricity for farm, phone in barn.
SwartzentruberStrictest group: no indoor plumbing, no reflectors on buggy.
Beachy AmishMost progressive: cars and electricity allowed.
Pennsylvania Dutch17th-century German dialect — the Amish home language.
HochdeutschHigh German — liturgical language (Bible, hymns, sermons).
KappWhite cap worn by married Amish women. Shape varies by community.
BroadfallMen's button-fly pants (no zipper — zippers are worldly).
Cape DressWomen's dress with cape overlay — modest, no decoration.
BundlingTradition: couple lies on bed clothed, board between them. For talking all night.
SingingYouth evening after Sunday service. Sing hymns, socialize.
Benefit AuctionCharity auction to raise funds for medical expenses.
Martyrs MirrorBook (1660) documenting Anabaptist executions. In every Amish home beside the Bible.
ScrappleDish of pork scraps with cornmeal. Fried for breakfast.
Shoofly PieMolasses and crumb pie. Flies (shoo, fly!) swarmed the molasses.
Chow-ChowMixed pickled vegetables — universal side dish.
Whoopie PieTwo chocolate "cookies" with cream between them.
Apple ButterThick paste from boiled-down cider with cinnamon.
EckCorner of honor at wedding table where bride and groom sit.
Bench WagonWagon carrying benches that travels house to house for Sunday services.
BrauchtumTraditional customs and practices passed down through generations.
FrolicWork party (quilting frolic, husking frolic) — work + socializing.
Hex SignsBright circular patterns on barns. NOT Amish (Pennsylvania Dutch decor).
HochmutPride — the cardinal sin in Amish worldview. Opposite of Gelassenheit.
DemutHumility — the primary virtue. Don't stand out, serve others.
BannPublic repentance before community to return from Meidung.
GmayCommunity (church district) — 30-40 families. Basic unit of Amish society.
DienerMinisters: bishop, preacher, deacon. Chosen by lot.
LotDrawing lots — method of choosing ministers. Slip of paper in one of several Bibles.
AbsonderungSeparation from the world — fundamental principle of Amish life.
GemeindeCongregation, church — not a building but the people.
SchleitheimSchleitheim Confession (1527) — foundation of Anabaptist faith.
Anabaptist"Rebaptizers" — 16th-century movement. Ancestors of Amish and Mennonites.
Mennonite"Cousins" of the Amish. Shared roots but more progressive.
HutteriteAnabaptists living in communes (communal property).
SMV TriangleOrange "Slow Moving Vehicle" triangle — law requires it, some Amish refuse.
Courting BuggyOpen buggy for dates. No roof — everything visible.
Dead BuggyAbandoned buggy — sign that a young Amish person left for the world.
Wunderbaar"Wonderful!" — one of the most common Pennsylvania Dutch exclamations.