Redemptorist
/rɪˈdɛmptərɪst/noun
A member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a Roman Catholic religious order.
Did you know?Redemptorist is a specifically Catholic order name built from Latin redemptor, “redeemer,” ultimately from the same rescue-and-ransom root behind modern words like redeem and ransom.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
redimere
“to buy back, ransom, recover”
Late Latin
Latin
redemptor
“a redeemer, deliverer”
18th Century
Latin/English
Redemptorist
“a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer”
Modern English
English
Redemptorist
“a member of a Roman Catholic missionary order”
Explore more surprising origins