n. Roman Catholic Church
A member of an originally mendicant religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209 and dedicated to the virtues of humility and poverty. It is now divided into three independent branches.
adj.
Of or relating to Saint Francis of Assisi or to the order founded by him.
[New Latin Franciscānus, from Medieval Latin Franciscus, from Saint FRANCIS OF ASSISI.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
