Cordelier

[ kawr-dl-eer ]

/ ˌkɔr dlˈɪər /

noun

a Franciscan friar: so called from the knotted cord worn as a girdle.

Cordeliers, a political club in Paris that met at an old Cordelier convent at the time of the French Revolution.

Origin of Cordelier

1350–1400; < Middle French; replacing Middle English cordeler. See cordelle, -er²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for cordelier

The poor Cordelier was so frightened that he could not speak, and answered never a word.
One Hundred Merrie And Delightsome Stories|Various
Till a Cordelier's Deputation actually went to examine, and found it—carried off again!
The French Revolution|Thomas Carlyle
Louis listened attentively to the Cordelier, and the friar's words sank deep into his mind.
The Boy Crusaders|John G. Edgar
One priest there is in Compiègne who takes no keep of his life, a cordelier.
A Monk of Fife|Andrew Lang

He was in constant fear of being poisoned, and had his food prepared by a Cordelier lay-brother.
The Jesuits, 1534-1921|Thomas J. Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for cordelier

Cordelier

/ (ˌkɔːdɪˈlɪə) /

noun

RC Church a Franciscan friar of the order of the Friars Minor

Word Origin for Cordelier

C19: from Old French cordelle, literally: a little cord, from the knotted cord girdles that they wear

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