Black Friar
- noun
:
fraile negro
- During the procession, the Black Friar led the prayers, dressed in his traditional habit.
Examples
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The monastery was once home to a community of Black Friars renowned for their scholarship.
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Many medieval cities had districts named after the Black Friars who lived and worked there.
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The Black Friar was known for his insightful sermons.
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Many Black Friars dedicated their lives to education.
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During the procession, the Black Friar led the prayers, dressed in his traditional habit.
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The monastery was once home to a community of Black Friars renowned for their scholarship.
-
Many medieval cities had districts named after the Black Friars who lived and worked there.
Synonyms
31
8.0
A man who belongs to a religious group and helps people
1
7.2
A member of a Catholic order founded by Saint Dominic
1
9.9
A Catholic religious person who belongs to the Dominican order and wears a black cloak
A Roman Catholic religious man from the Dominican order who wears a black cloak and preaches
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'black' (a color/modifier) plus 'friar' (a member of a religious order) yields a friar who wears a black habit or mantle. This straightforward color+profession pattern is cross-linguistically common and thus a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun Black Friar comes from a simple image: friars who wore a black cloak over their white clothes were easy to spot. Because the word friar names these religious men, people began to call them Black Friars, so the name means 'a member of the Dominican order'.