penitent
[ pen-i-tuhnt ]
/ ˈpɛn ɪ tənt /
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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.
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Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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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, adverbWords nearby penitent
Peninsula War, penis, penischisis, penis envy, penitence, penitent, Penitente, penitential, penitential Psalm, penitentiary, penitis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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
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