FRIAR Definition & Meaning

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friar

[ frahy-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

Roman Catholic Church. a member of a religious order, especially the mendicant orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Augustinians.
Printing. a blank or light area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type. Compare monk ( def 3 ).

friar

/ ˈ�ڰ��ɪə /

a member of any of various chiefly mendicant religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church, the main orders being Black Friars (Dominicans), Grey Friars (Franciscans), White Friars (Carmelites), and Austin Friars (Augustinians) See also Black Friar Grey Friar White Friar Augustinian

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Origin of friar¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English frier, frere “brother,” from Old French frere, from Latin �ڰ��ٱ��; brother

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Origin of friar¹

C13 frere , from Old French: brother, from Latin �ڰ��ٱ�� brother

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See monk.

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Examples have not been reviewed.

A few accounts say friars who presented Guatemalan Mayans to Philip II of Spain in 1544 also gifted him cacao beans.

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A theologian who later became a Dominican friar, he revolutionised Church teachings with his 1971 book Theology of Liberation.

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A friar who knew of his struggle encouraged him to start dating a woman, but it didn’t feel natural.

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Junípero Serra, the controversial Franciscan friar who established the mission system in California, was also on the list.

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“It was a wonderful meditation on what is going on inside,” he said, stepping onto the street in his friar robe.

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