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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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
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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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