
n. (Abbr. Fr.)
A member of a usually mendicant Roman Catholic order.
[Middle English frere, from Old French, from Latin frāter, brother.]
friarly fri'ar·ly adj.On this page

[Middle English frere, from Old French, from Latin frāter, brother.]
friarly fri'ar·ly adj.|
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A friar, or occasionally fray, is a member of one of the mendicant orders. "Fray" is sometimes used in former Spanish colonies such as the Philippines or the American Southwest as a title, such as in Fray Juan de Torquemada
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Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion. Whereas monks live in a self-sufficient community, friars work among laypeople and are supported by donations or other charitable support.[1] A monk or nun makes their vows and commits to a particular community in a particular place. A friar in making vows commits to a community spread across a wider geographical area known as a province, and so they will typically move around, spending time in different houses of the community within his province.
In English the name Friar is probably derived from the French word frère ("brother" in English), as French was still widely used in official circles in England during the 13th century when the great orders of friars started. The French word frère in turn comes from the Latin word frater (brother), which is widely used in the Latin New Testament to refer to members of the Christian community.
St. Francis of Assisi called his followers fratres minores, which G. K. Chesterton translated as "little brothers". However, another interpretation of fratres minores is "lesser brothers", because the Franciscan order stresses minority or humility.
There are two classes of order known as friars, or mendicant orders: the four "great orders" and the so-called "lesser orders".
The four great orders were mentioned by the Second Council of Lyons (1274), and are:
Some of the lesser orders are:
Several schools and colleges use friars as their mascot. The MLB's San Diego Padres have the Swinging Friar.
The University of Michigan's oldest a cappella group is a male octet known as The Friars.[3]
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Friar |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - munk, broder
Nederlands (Dutch)
frater, monnik, lid van religieuze orde
Français (French)
n. - frère, moine
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) μοναχός, καλόγερος, μέλος μοναστικού τάγματος
Italiano (Italian)
frate, idiota
Português (Portuguese)
n. - frade (m) (Rel.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - fraile, hermano
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
修道士
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 修道士
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 托鉢修道士, 修道士, フライアー
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) راهب
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