Meanings
- A female given name from French.
plural Clarisses
- CatholicismSynonym of Poor Clare: a nun of the Order of Saint Clare, sometimes particularly such a nun who followed the original rules of Saint Clare of Assisi.
Clara... withdrew herself... to the Church of St. Damian, and there gave beginning to the poor Maids, called from her name Clarisses...
1693, Gabriel d'Emillianne, translated by Antonio Gavin, A Short History of Monastical Orders, page 253Synonyms: Poor Clare
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of Poor Clare: a nun of the Order of Saint Clare, sometimes particularly such a nun who followed the original rules of Saint Clare of Assisi.
Origin
- Medieval LatinClarissa“Poor Clare”
- ItalianClarissa
- FrenchClarisse
- EnglishClarisse
Borrowed from French Clarisse, from Italian Clarissa, from Medieval Latin Clarissa (“Poor Clare”); see there for more. Doublet of Clarissa and Clarice.
More words from French, Italian, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Clarisse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clarisse
“Clarisse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clarisse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Clarisse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clarisse.
Source: Clarisse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.