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Fran·cis·can (frăn-sĭskən)
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n.
A member of an originally mendicant Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209 and dedicated to the virtues of humility and poverty. It is now divided into three independent branches.
adj.
Of or relating to Saint Francis of Assisi or to the order founded by him.
[New Latin Franciscānus, from Medieval Latin Franciscus, from Saint Francis of Assisi.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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