penitent
[ pen-i-tuhnt ]
/ ˈpɛn ɪ tənt /
adjective
feeling or expressing sorrow for sin or wrongdoing and disposed to atonement and amendment; repentant; contrite.
noun
a penitent person.
Roman Catholic Church. a person who confesses sin and submits to a penance.
Words nearby penitent
peninsulate, penis, penis envy, penischisis, penitence, penitent, penitente, penitential, penitential psalm, penitentiary, penitis
Origin of penitent
1325–75; Middle English < Medieval Latin pēnitent-, Latin paenitent- (stem of paenitēns), present participle of paenitēre to regret; replacing Middle English penaunt < Anglo-French; see penance
OTHER WORDS FROM penitent
pen·i·tent·ly, adverbnon·pen·i·tent, adjective, nounun·pen·i·tent, adjectiveun·pen·i·tent·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for penitent
British Dictionary definitions for penitent
penitent
/ (ˈpɛnɪtənt) /
adjective
feeling regret for one's sins; repentant
noun
a person who is penitent
Christianity
- a person who repents his sins and seeks forgiveness for them
- RC Church a person who confesses his sins to a priest and submits to a penance imposed by him
Derived forms of penitent
penitence, nounpenitently, adverbWord Origin for penitent
C14: from Church Latin paenitēns regretting, from paenitēre to repent, of obscure origin
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