Cathar

American  

[kath-ahr] / ˈkæθ ɑr /

noun

PLURAL

Cathari, Cathars

1. (in medieval Europe) a member of any of several rigorously ascetic Christian sects maintaining a dualistic theology.

---

Cathar British  

/ ˈkæθərɪst, ˈkæθə /

noun

1. a member of a Christian sect in Provence in the 12th and 13th centuries who believed the material world was evil and only the spiritual was good

---

Other Word Forms

• Catharism noun
• Catharistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Cathar

First recorded in 1630–40; from Late Latin Catharī (plural), from Late Greek hoi Katharoí “Novatians,” literally, “the pure”; applied in Medieval Latin to various sects

Example Sentences

This is the second, through Cathar country in the rarely visited eastern Pyrenees.

From The Guardian

Marcel Proust joined our walks along the French Cathar Way last year.

From The Guardian

Coming right after the ascent of the Tourmalet — where Pinot had already showed his great form and stamina with a stage win at the famed Tour mountain — Stage 15 ran close to the ancient Cathar castles and was a punishing ride totaling more than 24 miles of climbing.

From Los Angeles Times

Coming right after Stage 14 to the famed Col du Tourmalet — the first of three finishes over 2,000 meters this year — the last Pyrenean trek running close to the ancient Cathar castles is a grueling and daunting ride totaling more than 39 kilometers of climbing.

From Seattle Times

The blood of St. Peter Martyr, who was killed by Cathar heretics in 1252, was also accorded medicinal properties.

From The New Yorker