What does mendicant mean?

Definitions for mendicant
ˈmɛn dɪ kəntmen·di·cant

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word mendicant.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. friar, mendicantnoun

    a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms

  2. beggar, mendicantadjective

    a pauper who lives by begging

  3. mendicantadjective

    practicing beggary

    "mendicant friars"

Wiktionary

  1. mendicantnoun

    A pauper who lives by begging.

  2. mendicantnoun

    A religious friar forbidden to own personal property who begs for a living.

  3. mendicantadjective

    Depending on alms for a living.

  4. mendicantadjective

    Of or pertaining to a beggar.

  5. mendicantadjective

    Of or pertaining to a member of a religious order forbidden to own property, and who must beg for a living.

  6. Etymology: From mendicans, present participle of mendico. Compare French mendiant.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Mendicantadjective

    Begging; poor to a state of beggary.

    Etymology: mendicans, Latin.

    Be not righteous over-much, is applicable to those who, out of an excess of zeal, practise mortifications, whereby they macerate their bodies; or to those who voluntarily reduce themselves to a poor, and perhaps mendicant, state. Richard Fiddes, Sermons.

  2. Mendicantnoun

    A beggar; one of some begging fraternity in the Romish church.

    Etymology: mendicant, Fr.

Wikipedia

  1. Mendicant

    A mendicant (from Latin: mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many instances members have taken a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practicing their respective faith, preaching and serving society. Mendicancy is a form of asceticism, especially in Western Christianity. In Eastern Christianity, some ascetics are referred to as Fools for Christ, whereby they spurn the convention of society in pursuit of living a more wholly Christian life.

ChatGPT

  1. mendicant

    A mendicant is a beggar, especially one of a number of religious followers or adherents who live by asking for donations or alms. This term is often used to refer to members of certain religious orders who have forsaken worldly possessions and sustenance, choosing instead to live on charitable offerings.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Mendicantadjective

    practicing beggary; begging; living on alms; as, mendicant friars

  2. Mendicantnoun

    a beggar; esp., one who makes a business of begging; specifically, a begging friar

  3. Etymology: [L. mendicans, -antis, p. pr. of mendicare to beg, fr. mendicus beggar, indigent.]

Wikidata

  1. Mendicant

    The term mendicant refers to begging or relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely exclusively on charity to survive. In principle, mendicant orders or followers do not own property, either individually or collectively, and have taken a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practising or preaching their religion or way of life and serving the poor. Many religious orders adhere to a mendicant way of life, including the Catholic mendicant orders, Hindu ascetics, some dervishes of Sufi Islam, and the monastic orders of Jainism and Buddhism. In the Catholic Church, followers of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic became known as mendicants, as they would beg for food while they preached to the villages. While mendicants are the original type of monks in Buddhism and have a long history in Indian Hinduism and the countries which adapted Indian religious traditions, they didn't become widespread in Christianity until the High Middle Ages. The Way of a Pilgrim depicts the life of an Eastern Christian mendicant.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Mendicant

    men′di-kant, adj. in the condition of a beggar: practising beggary.—n. one who is in extreme want: a beggar: a member of one of the R.C. orders who live by begging: a begging friar.—ns. Men′dicancy, Mendic′ity, the state of being a mendicant or beggar: the life of a beggar.—Mendicant orders, religious bodies who depended on begging for their support. [L. mendicans, -antis, pr.p. of mendicāre, to beg—mendicus, a beggar.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of mendicant in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of mendicant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Popularity rank by frequency of use

mendicant#100000#152273#333333

Translations for mendicant

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • متسولArabic
  • betteln, Bettler, BettelmönchGerman
  • mendicante, mendigoSpanish
  • kerjäläinen, kerjäläismunkkiFinnish
  • mendiantFrench
  • braar boghtManx
  • mendicanteItalian
  • mendīcānsLatin
  • żebrak, żebrzącyPolish
  • mendigo, mendicantePortuguese
  • нищенский, нищенствующий, нищенствующий монах, попрошайка, нищийRussian

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"mendicant." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/mendicant>.

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