noun
mendicant
MEN-dih-kunt
Mendicant (noun) means a member of a religious order that owns no property and lives on charity, such as a Franciscan or Dominican friar. Example: “The mendicants arrived barefoot and asked only for bread.”
noun
1
religion A member of a religious order that owns no property and lives on charity, such as a Franciscan or Dominican friar.
"The mendicants arrived barefoot and asked only for bread."
"Buddhist mendicants walk the villages each morning with alms bowls."
2
formal A person who lives by begging.
"Mendicants gathered at the cathedral steps each evening."
adjective
1
Living on alms, or given to begging.
"He joined a mendicant order in his twenties."
"She described her mendicant year of travelling with nothing."
How to use mendicant
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who lives entirely on what other people give them, especially a religious brother.
When to use it
Formal or historical; calling a modern homeless person a mendicant sounds archaic and distancing.
Memory tip
Mendicant means begging; mendacious means lying. They are unrelated despite the similar look.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
mendacious
itinerant →
Common pairings
mendicant order
mendicant friar
mendicant monk
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The _____ arrived barefoot and asked only for bread.
Etymology
From Latin mendicare 'to beg', from mendicus 'beggar'.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for mendicant
See all rhymes for mendicant →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a monk and a mendicant friar?
A monk lives inside a monastery under a vow of stability and the community supports itself, often from its own land. A mendicant friar is deliberately propertyless, moves about preaching, and depends on alms from the public.
Which orders are mendicant orders?
The main ones are the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites and Augustinians. They emerged in medieval Europe as preachers who owned nothing personally or communally.
What is the meaning of mendicant?
"mendicant" (noun) means a member of a religious order that owns no property and lives on charity, such as a Franciscan or Dominican friar.
What is another word for mendicant?
Other words for "mendicant" include friar, almsman, beggar, panhandler.
