Where does “mendicant” come from?
Mendicant comes from Latin mendicans, present participle of mendico, derived from Latin mendicus meaning beggar, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mend-.
mendicant (English): Depending on alms for a living; Of or pertaining...
Definitions
- Depending on alms for a living; Of or pertaining...
Ancestry of “mendicant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mendicans | begging, asking for alms |
| 2 | Latin | mendico | I beg, ask for alms |
| 3 | Latin | mendicus | beggarly, needy, indigent |
| 4 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |