Franciscan
/fɹænˈsɪsk(ə)n/ noun, adjective
Forms Franciscans
- noun A friar of the religious order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209, now known as the Order of the Friars Minor.
- noun A friar or nun of a religious order based on the rule of Francis of Assisi's original order, such as (Roman Catholicism) the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (for men), Order of Friars Minor Conventual (men), Order of Saint Clare (women), or the Third Order of Saint Francis (men and women); or (Protestantism) certain orders in some Protestant churches, especially the Anglican Church and the Lutheran Church.
- adjective Of or pertaining to Saint Francis of Assisi.
- adjective Of or pertaining to (Roman Catholicism) the Order of the Friars Minor, or (Protestantism, Roman Catholicism) to another religious order based on the rule of Francis of Assisi's original order.
Synonyms
Cordelier Friar Minor Minorite Observant Capuchin Conventual greyfriar Clarisse Clarissine Minoress Poor Clare Grey Friar
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin Franciscānus (“(noun) friar of the order of Saint Francis; (adjective) of or from the order of Saint Francis”) + English -an (suffix forming agent nouns; and meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Franciscānus is derived from Franciscus (“the given name Francis, the name of Saint Francis of Assisi (c. 1181 – 1226)”) + Latin -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, denoting relationships of origin, position, or possession); and Franciscus from Francia (“region inhabited or ruled over by the Franka, Frankia”) (apparently a nickname from Francis’s father, an Italian merchant who worked in France) + -iscus (suffix forming adjectives).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Belonging to the Order of St. Francis of the Franciscans.
- noun A monk or friar of the Order of St. Francis, a large and zealous order of mendicant monks founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi. They are called also Friars Minor; and in England, Gray Friars, because they wear a gray habit.
Etymology [LL. Franciscus Francis: cf. F. franciscain.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Franciscan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details