friar
friar Lexical Profile
friar Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of any of certain religious mendicant orders of men in the Roman Catholic Church, especially the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, or Carmelites, who combine monastic vows with active ministry in the wider community.
"The Franciscan friar spent his mornings tending the community garden and his afternoons distributing food to the poor."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'friar' with its homophone 'fryer' (a deep-frying cooking appliance or a young chicken suitable for frying). Furthermore, in Roman Catholic usage, a friar differs from a monk: a monk typically lives a cloistered, contemplative life bound to a single monastery, whereas a friar belongs to a mendicant order and works actively out in the community.
• Rhymes for friar
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 13th century from Anglo-French 'frere' and Old French 'freire', derived from Latin 'frater' meaning 'brother', reflecting the fraternal title adopted by members of medieval mendicant orders.