friar

[ frahy-er ]
See synonyms for friar on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Roman Catholic Church. a member of a religious order, especially the mendicant orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Augustinians.

  2. Printing. a blank or light area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type.: Compare monk (def. 3).

Origin of friar

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English frier, frere “brother,” from Old French frere, from Latin frāter;see brother

synonym study For friar

1. See monk.

Words that may be confused with friar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use friar in a sentence

  • Polavieja, as everybody knew, was the chosen executive of the friars, whose only care was to secure their own position.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • The friars were exceedingly wroth, and combined to defeat the Generalʼs efforts to come to an understanding with the rebels.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • Then the friars call the natives Spaniards and the military officers own us as their sons and they dub us brave soldiers.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • But ask for friars, soldiers, and State dependents to come and devour our wealth, and instantly you will get them.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for friar

friar

/ (ˈfraɪə) /


noun
  1. 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

Origin of friar

1
C13 frere, from Old French: brother, from Latin frāter brother

Derived forms of friar

  • friarly, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012