friar

Etymology

PIE word *bʰréh₂tēr From Middle English frere, from Old French frere, from Latin frāter (“brother”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”). Doublet of bhai, brother, frater, and pal.

noun

  1. A member of a mendicant Christian order such as the Augustinians, Carmelites (white friars), Franciscans (grey friars) or the Dominicans (black friars).
  2. (printing, dated) A white or pale patch on a printed page caused by poor inking.
  3. An American fish, the silverside.

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