Friar
/ˈfraɪ.ər/noun
A member of a Roman Catholic religious order, especially one who lives by begging and preaching.
Did you know?Friar comes through Old French from Latin frater, meaning “brother,” the same sacred-family root behind several words for kinship and fraternity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰréh₂tēr
“brother”
Latin
Latin
frāter
“brother”
Late Latin
Latin
frātrem / frāter
“brother; member of a religious brotherhood”
Old French
Old French
frere
“brother; member of a religious order”
Middle English
English
frere
“a friar, especially a mendicant monk”
Modern English
English
friar
“a member of a religious order, especially one who lives by begging and preaching”
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