The term Quaker derives from early adherents who shook in religious ecstasy, although quaking nowadays tends to be unusual.

Amram was among the earliest adherents of the Zionist movement.

John Wesley, George Whitefield and other early adherents to Wesleyan views began preaching in fields.

Whitmer and his family were among the earliest adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement.

Yet the form itself has demonstrated a staying power, and a capacity for growth, that confounds its detractors and surprises even early adherents.

The man just out of the army is an ideal potential convert, and we find him among the early adherents of all contemporary mass movements.

But he committed himself to painting while still a teen-ager and was among the style's earlier adherents.

This group became known as the Austrian School, reflecting the Austrian origin of many of the early adherents.

Now based in Lafayette, La., it tracks the movement's early adherents and keeps them informed through a Web site, www.vfa.us.