Meanings
plural Friars Minor · plural Friar Minors
- CatholicismSynonym of Franciscan: a member of the Order of the Friars Minor.
[…] So þere weren with vs ij worthi men, Frere Menoures […]
c. 1410, "John Mandeville", Travels (Titus C.xvi), p. 1881 more example
The Friars Preacher opened their studium generale at St. Jacques, Paris, in 1229, the Friars Minor theirs in 1231.
1952, Beryl Smalley, Study of Bible in Middle Ages, p. 264Synonyms: Franciscan
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of Franciscan: a member of the Order of the Friars Minor.
Origin
- Normanfreres menures
- Old Frenchfreres meneurs
- Medieval LatinFratres Minores“the Lesser Brothers”
- EnglishFriar Minor
A calque of Medieval Latin Fratres Minores (“the Lesser Brothers”), both directly and via Old French freres meneurs and Norman freres menures, a name supposedly chosen by St Francis to inculcate humility.
More words from Medieval Latin, Old French, Norman
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Friar Minor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Friar%20Minor
“Friar Minor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Friar%20Minor. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Friar Minor,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Friar%20Minor.
Source: Friar Minor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.