mendicant
[ men-di-kuh nt ]
/ ˈmɛn dɪ kənt /
adjective
begging; practicing begging; living on alms.
pertaining to or characteristic of a beggar.
noun
a person who lives by begging; beggar.
a member of any of several orders of friars that originally forbade ownership of property, subsisting mostly on alms.
Origin of mendicant
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin
mendīcant- (stem of
mendīcāns), present participle of
mendīcāre to beg, equivalent to
mendīc(us) beggarly, needy +
-ant-
-ant
OTHER WORDS FROM mendicant
non·men·di·cant, adjectiveWords nearby mendicant
mendelssohn, felix,
mender,
menderes,
mendes,
mendicancy,
mendicant,
mendicity,
mending,
mendips,
mendocino,
mendota
Example sentences from the Web for mendicant
British Dictionary definitions for mendicant
mendicant
/ (ˈmɛndɪkənt) /
adjective
begging
(of a member of a religious order) dependent on alms for sustenance
mendicant friars
characteristic of a beggar
noun
a mendicant friar
a less common word for beggar
Derived forms of mendicant
mendicancy or mendicity (mɛnˈdɪsɪtɪ), nounWord Origin for mendicant
C16: from Latin
mendīcāre to beg, from
mendīcus beggar, from
mendus flaw