mendicant
1 of 2noun/ˈmɛndɪkənt/
Forms:mendicants
1
a person who begs other people for food and money
- The mendicant approached passersby, asking for spare change and food.
- In medieval times, mendicants often traveled from town to town seeking alms.
- The story follows a mendicant who wanders through the streets, reflecting on his past life.
- Despite his situation as a mendicant, he maintained a hopeful outlook on life.
- The film portrayed the life of a mendicant as both challenging and poignant.
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2
a male member of a religious order, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, or Augustinians, who lives by begging and relies solely on donations for sustenance
- Mendicants depended entirely on the generosity of others.
- Mendicant orders flourished in medieval Europe, preaching and serving the poor.
- The monastery trained young men to live as mendicants, renouncing all possessions.
- Mendicants were common in cities, offering prayers in exchange for alms.
- The mendicant carried only a satchel and a rosary.
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