Benedictine

American  

[ben-i-dik-tin, -teen, -tahyn, ben-i-dik-teen] / ˌbɛn ɪˈdɪk tɪn, -tin, -taɪn, ˌbɛn ɪˈdɪk tin /

noun

1. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. a member of an order of monks founded at Monte Cassino by St. Benedict about a.d. 530.

   2. a member of any congregation of nuns following the rule of St. Benedict.

2. a French liqueur originally made by Benedictine monks.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to St. Benedict or the Benedictines.

Benedictine British  

noun

1. a monk or nun who is a member of a Christian religious community founded by or following the rule of Saint Benedict

2. a greenish-yellow liqueur made from a secret formula developed at the Benedictine monastery at Fécamp in France in about 1510

---

adjective

1. of or relating to Saint Benedict, his order, or his rule

Etymology

Origin of Benedictine

1620–30; St. Benedict + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Benedictine

Even at the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery above Lucia, the road’s reopening and coming summer season have made a difference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

She introduces an 11th-century Benedictine monk named Guido, who taught his singing students about “the intervals between notes” by pointing to different parts of his hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

In 1746, Antoine Augustin Calmet, a French Benedictine monk, published what Mr. Blair calls the “most influential academic work” on vampirism and shaped the emerging genre of Gothic fiction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

One Benedictine monk became so worked up about the issue he clearly dedicated significant thought and time to it.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2025

It chafed me as much as the Benedictine habit, as it turns out.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver