Definition of friar Friar

/fɹajˈɚ/ - [frayer] - fri•ar

We found 8 definitions of friar from 6 different sources.

What does friar mean?

Noun Plural: friars
friar - a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms
		mendicant
		religious a member of a religious order who is bound by vows of poverty and chastity and obedience
		carmelite, white friar a Roman Catholic friar wearing the white cloak of the Carmelite order; mendicant preachers
		black friar, blackfriar, friar preacher, dominican a native or inhabitant of the Dominican Republic
		franciscan, grey friar a Roman Catholic friar wearing the grey habit of the Franciscan order

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friar (Noun)
A member of certain Christian orders such as the Augustinians, Carmelites white friars , Franciscans grey friars or the Dominicans black friars .

friar (n.)
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.
friar (n.)
A white or pale patch on a printed page.
friar (n.)
An American fish; the silversides.

friar
frī′ar, n. a member of one of the mendicant monastic orders in the R.C. Church—the Franciscans (Friars Minor or Gray Friars), Dominicans (Friars Major, Friars Preachers, or Black Friars), Carmelites (White Friars), and Augustinians (Austin Friars).—adj. Frī′arly, like a friar.—n. Frī′ary, a monastery.—Friars' balsam (see Benzoin); Friar's cap, the wolf's-bane; Friar's cowl, the wake-robin; Friar's lantern, the ignis-fatuus or Will-o'-the-wisp. [O. Fr. frere—L. frater, a brother.]

Friars are special monks that do a service to a community and that lead a simple life, rather than living like ascets in a monastery.

Orders.

There are two classes of orders known as friars, or mendicant orders: the four "great orders" and the so-called "lesser orders".

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friar in sign language