Franciscan

American  

[fran-sis-kuhn] / frænˈsɪs kən /

adjective

1. of or relating to St. Francis or the Franciscans.

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noun

1. a member of the mendicant order founded by St. Francis in the 13th century.

Franciscan British  

/ frænˈsɪskən /

noun

1. 1. a member of any of several Christian religious orders of mendicant friars or nuns tracing their origins back to Saint Francis of Assisi; a Grey Friar

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Franciscan friar

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Etymology

Origin of Franciscan

1585–95; < Medieval Latin Francisc ( us ) St. Francis of Assisi + -an

Example Sentences

Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan Friar of the Third Order and a Catholic priest, teaches moral philosophy at Luiss Guido Carli University and is a professor of ethics of technology at Seattle University.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The 68-year-old San Franciscan has helped put many Democratic candidates in office as one of the party’s biggest political donors in the past two decades, but has never held public office himself.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The expedition grew out of the false assurances of a Franciscan friar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The company, which celebrated its 50th birthday this week, was started by two Steves in a San Franciscan garage.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“He’s a begging friar of the Franciscan rule,” Bear said.

From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi