mendicant
/ˈmɛndɪkənt/
noun
- A person who asks for money or food from others because they are very poor; a beggar.
- In medieval times, many mendicants traveled from town to town seeking charity.
- She gave a small coin to the mendicant on the street corner.
- The mendicant sat quietly by the temple gate, hoping for alms.
- A member of a religious order (such as the Franciscans or Dominicans) who relies on charity and does not own personal property.
- Saint Francis of Assisi founded a mendicant order that emphasized poverty and humility.
- The mendicant friar preached in the village square, owning nothing but his robe.
- Mendicants often lived in simple communities and served the poor.
Synonyms
adjective
- Relating to or characteristic of a beggar or someone who lives by asking for charity.
- The novel describes the mendicant existence of wandering monks.
- The mendicant lifestyle requires great humility and dependence on others.
- He wore a mendicant's cloak, patched and worn from years of travel.
- Describing a religious order that depends on charitable donations rather than owning property.
- The mendicant orders grew rapidly in the 13th century.
- She studied the history of mendicant friars in Europe.
- Many mendicant communities still exist today, serving the needy.