friar

Noun

Synonyms: mendicant

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on almsSynonyms: mendicant

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Friar \Fri"ar\, n. [OR. frere, F. fr[`e]re brother, friar, fr. L. frater brother. See Brother.]

1.(R. C. Ch.) A brother or member of any religious order, but especially of one of the four mendicant orders, viz: (a) Minors, Gray Friars, or Franciscans. (b) Augustines. (c) Dominicans or Black Friars. (d) White Friars or Carmelites. See these names in the Vocabulary. [1913 Webster]

2.(Print.) A white or pale patch on a printed page. [1913 Webster]

3.(Zool.) An American fish; the silversides. [1913 Webster]

Friar bird (Zool.), an Australian bird (Tropidorhynchus corniculatus), having the head destitute of feathers; -- called also coldong, leatherhead, pimlico; poor soldier, and four-o'clock. The name is also applied to several other species of the same genus.

Friar's balsam (Med.), a stimulating application for wounds and ulcers, being an alcoholic solution of benzoin, styrax, tolu balsam, and aloes; compound tincture of benzoin. --Brande & C.

Friar's cap (Bot.), the monkshood.

Friar's cowl (Bot.), an arumlike plant (Arisarum vulgare) with a spathe or involucral leaf resembling a cowl.

Friar's lantern, the ignis fatuus or Will-o'-the-wisp. --Milton.

Friar skate (Zool.), the European white or sharpnosed skate (Raia alba); -- called also Burton skate, border ray, scad, and doctor. [1913 Webster]

Silversides \Sil"ver*sides`\, n. (Zool.) Any one of several species of small fishes of the family Atherinidae, having a silvery stripe along each side of the body. The common species of the American coast (Menidia notata) is very abundant. Called also silverside, sand smelt, friar, tailor, and tinker. [1913 Webster]

Brook silversides (Zool.), a small fresh-water North American fish (Labadesthes sicculus) related to the marine silversides. [1913 Webster]