Cordelier

[ kawr-dl-eer ]

/ ˌkɔr dlˈɪər /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Cordelier

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

Words nearby Cordelier

cord blood, cord cutter, corded, Cordele, Cordelia, Cordelier, Cordeliers, cordelle, cord foot, cordgrass, cordial

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

How to use Cordelier in a sentence

The magazine of the Cordelier was reached, and she and the Regent went up into the air together.
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves|W.H.G. Kingston
There have been three duels, two deaths, and one captain of the Royal Roussillon turned cordelier for my sake.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby
The visible sign of their understanding was the appearance in December of the Vieux Cordelier.
Lectures on the French Revolution|John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
Louis listened attentively to the Cordelier, and the friar's words sank deep into his mind.
The Boy Crusaders|John G. Edgar

So spake Hebert in Cordelier Session; with vivats, till the roofs rang again.
The French Revolution|Thomas Carlyle

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