penitent (adj.)

"sorry for offenses committed, repentant of one's sins, contrite," mid-14c., from Old French pénitent (14c.) and directly from Latin paenitentem (Medieval Latin penitentem) "penitent" (see penitence).

As a noun, "one undergoing penance, a repentant sinner," late 14c., from the adjective (earlier in this sense was penaunt, early 14c., from Old French peneant). Also, in plural, a name distinguishing some Catholic orders, especially those formed for the reception of reformed courtesans.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to penitent

penitence (n.)

"sorrow for committing sin or for having offended, with the intention of amending one's life; mortification undertaken to make amends for sin," c. 1200, from Old French penitence (11c.) and directly from Latin pænitentia "repentance" (Medieval Latin penitentia), noun of condition from pænitentum (nominative pænitens) "penitent," present participle of pænitere "cause or feel regret," probably originally "is not enough, is unsatisfactory," from pæne "nearly, almost, practically," which is of uncertain origin. The basic meaning seems to be "missing, lacking." Related: Penitency.

Trends of penitent

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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Lothario

name for a jaunty rake, 1756, from "the gay Lothario," name of the principal male character in Nicholas Rowe's "The Fair Penitent...

Job

Others say it means "the penitent one." Figurative of bad news, destitution, and patient endurance....

repentance

c. 1300, repentaunce, "state of being penitent, sorrow and contrition for sin or wrongdoing resulting in vigorous abandonment...

contrite

from Old French contrit (12c.) and directly from Latin contritus, literally "worn out, ground to pieces," in Late Latin "penitent...

penance

Old French peneance (12c.), from Latin pænitentia "repentance," noun of condition from pænitentum (nominative pænitens) "penitent...

satisfaction

early 14c., satisfaccioun, "performance by a penitent of an act set forth by a priest or other Church authority to atone...

rue

for, feel regret for something or how it happened," is attested by c. 1200; the intransitive sense of "be sorrowful or penitent...

consumption

late 14c., "wasting of the body by disease; wasting disease, progressive emaciation" (replacing Old English yfeladl "the evil disease"), from Old French consumpcion, from Latin consumptionem (nominative consumptio) "a using up, wasting," noun of state from past-participle stem of

curry

late 13c., "to rub down a horse," from Anglo-French curreier "to curry-comb a horse," from Old French correier "put in order, prepare, curry," from con-, intensive prefix (see com-), + reier "arrange," from a Germanic source (see ready). Related: Curried; currying. To curry favor

bacteria

"unicellular microorganisms which lack an organized nucleus," and sometimes cause disease, 1847, plural of Modern Latin bacterium, from Greek bakterion "small staff," diminutive of baktron "stick, rod, staff, cudgel." So called because the first ones observed were rod-shaped. Int

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updated on March 21, 2020

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