friar
UK /ˈfɹaɪə/ · US /ˈfɹaɪɚ/ noun, proper noun
Forms friars frier fryar
- noun A member of a mendicant Christian order such as the Augustinians, Carmelites (white friars), Franciscans (grey friars) or the Dominicans (black friars).
- noun (printing, dated) A white or pale patch on a printed page caused by poor inking.
- noun An American fish, the silverside.
- noun Such fish prepared as food.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English frere, borrowed from Old French frere, from Latin frāter, from Proto-Italic *frātēr, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr. Doublet of bhai, brother, bru, frater, pal, and vai.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A brother or member of any religious order, but especially of one of the four mendicant orders, viz: (a) Minors, Gray Friars, or Franciscans. (b) Augustines. (c) Dominicans or Black Friars. (d) White Friars or Carmelites. See these names in the Vocabulary.
- noun A white or pale patch on a printed page.
Etymology [OR. frere, F. frère brother, friar, fr. L. frater brother. See Brother.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “friar”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details