Cathar

[ kath-ahr ]

noun,plural Cath·a·ri

[kath-uh-rahy], /ˈkæθ əˌraɪ/, Cath·ars.

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

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

Also called Cath·a·rist [kath-er-ist]. /ˈkæθ ər ɪst/.

Other words from Cathar

Cath·a·rism, noun
Cath·a·ris·tic, adjective

Words Nearby Cathar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Cathar in a sentence

Richard Cathar, late of Oxford University, is something of a loser, at least in matters of love.
Justin Cartwright’s Novel ‘Lion Heart’ May Win Him the Audience He Deserves | Robert Birnbaum | March 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Here seems to belong in the order of development the Cathar Eucharist (see Cathars).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 | Various
Cathar′sis, evacuation of the bowels; Cathart′ic, a purgative medicine; Cathar′tin, the purgative principle of senna.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) | Various

British Dictionary definitions for Cathar

Cathar

Catharist (ˈkæθərɪst)

/ (ˈkæθə) /

nounplural -ars, -ari (-ərɪ) or -arists

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

Origin of Cathar

from Medieval Latin Cathari, from Greek katharoi the pure

Derived forms of Cathar

Catharism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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