Mendicant
/ˈmɛn.dɪ.kənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pauper who lives by begging.
"I made £150 by Alton Locke, and never lost a farthing; and I got, not in spite of, but by the rows, a name and a standing with many a one who would never have heard of me otherwise, and I should have been a stercoraceous mendicant if I had hollowed when I got a facer, while I was winning by the cross, though I didn't mean to fight one."
- 2 a pauper who lives by begging wordnet
- 3 A religious friar, forbidden to own personal property, who begs for a living.
- 4 a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Depending on alms for a living. not-comparable
- 2 Of or pertaining to a beggar. not-comparable
- 3 Of or pertaining to a member of a religious order forbidden to own property, and who must beg for a living. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 practicing beggary wordnet
Example
More examples"Tom gave three dollars to a mendicant."
Etymology
From Middle English mendicant, from Latin mendīcāns, present participle of mendīcō (“beg”). Compare French mendiant.