penitent

See also: pénitent

English

WOTD – 9 July 2012

Alternative forms

• pænitent (archaic)
• penitant (obsolete)
• pœnitent (archaic, nonstandard)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin paenitēns, poenitēns (“penitent”), present participle of paeniteō, poeniteō (“I cause to repent; I regret, repent”). Doublet of penitente.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛnɪtənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

penitent (comparative more penitent, superlative most penitent)

1. Feeling pain or sorrow on account of one's sins or offenses; feeling sincere guilt.

   Synonyms: repentant, contrite; see also Thesaurus:remorseful

   • 1671, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:

     Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite.

   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:

     If thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these heinous sins shall not be laid to thy charge.

2. Doing penance.
   • c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     […] But we that know what ’tis to faſt and pray, / Are penitent for your default to day.

Translations

feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses

• Armenian: զղջացող (zġǰacʻoġ), ապաշխարող (apašxaroġ)
• Bulgarian: каещ се (kaešt se)
• Catalan: penedit (ca)
• Czech: kajícný
• Esperanto: pentanta
• Finnish: katuvainen, katuva (fi)
• German: reumütig (de), reuig (de); bußfertig (de) (religion)
• Greek: μετανοών m (metanoón)
• Irish: aithríoch
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: poşman (ku)

• Latin: paenitens
• Russian: кающийся (ru) (kajuščijsja), раскаивающийся (ru) (raskaivajuščijsja)
• Swedish: botfärdig (sv), ångerfull (sv)

doing penance

• Catalan: penitent (ca)
• Finnish: katuvainen, katuva (fi)
• Irish: aithríoch
• Swedish: botgörande

Noun

penitent (plural penitents)

1. One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of their transgressions.
2. One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.

   Hyponym: consistent

   • 1837, William Russell, The History of Modern Europe: with an Account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Longman, Rees, & Co., page 20:

     Wamba, who defeated the Saracens in an attempt upon Spain, was deprived of the crown, because he had been clothed in the habit of a penitent, while labouring under the influence of poison, administered by the ambitious Erviga!

3. One under the direction of a confessor.

Translations

one who repents of sin

• Catalan: penitent (ca)
• Czech: kajícník (cs) m
• Esperanto: pentanto
• Finnish: katumuksentekijä
• French: pénitent (fr) m
• German: Reumütiger m; Bußfertiger m (religion)
• Hebrew: בעל תשובה m
• Irish: aithríoch m
• Maori: kairīpenetā
• Slovak: kajúcnik m
• Swedish: botfärdig syndare c

one undergoing penance

• Catalan: penitent (ca)
• German: Büßer (de) m
• Irish: aithríoch m
• Swedish: botgörare c

one under the direction of a confessor

• Armenian: խոստովանորդի (hy) (xostovanordi)
• Catalan: penitent (ca)
• Dutch: biechteling (nl) m
• Finnish: ripittäytyjä (fi)
• German: Beichtkind n
• Irish: aithríoch m
• Polish: penitent (pl) m, penitentka f
• Spanish: penitente (es) m or f
• Swedish: biktbarn (sv) n

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₁-‎ (0 c, 25 e)

Further reading

• “penitent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “penitent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “penitent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛˈɲi.tɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -itɛnt
• Syllabification: pe‧ni‧tent

Etymology 1

Internationalism; compare English penitent, French pénitent, German Pönitent, ultimately from Latin poenitēns.

Noun

penitent m pers (female equivalent penitentka)

1. (Roman Catholicism) penitent (who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of their transgressions)

Declension

Declension of penitent

	singular	plural
nominative	penitent	penitenci/penitenty (deprecative)
genitive	penitenta	penitentów
dative	penitentowi	penitentom
accusative	penitenta	penitentów
instrumental	penitentem	penitentami
locative	penitencie	penitentach
vocative	penitencie	penitenci

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English penitente, from French penitente, from Spanish (nieve) penitente.

Noun

penitent m inan

1. penitente (tall thin blade of hardened snow or ice, found closely spaced in large quantities at high altitudes)

Declension

Declension of penitent

	singular	plural
nominative	penitent	penitenty
genitive	penitentu	penitentów
dative	penitentowi	penitentom
accusative	penitent	penitenty
instrumental	penitentem	penitentami
locative	penitencie	penitentach
vocative	penitencie	penitenty

Further reading

• penitent in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• penitent in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French pénitent, from Latin poenitens.

Adjective

penitent m or n (feminine singular penitentă, masculine plural penitenți, feminine and neuter plural penitente)

1. penitent

Declension

Declension of penitent

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	penitent		penitentă	penitenți	penitente
	definite	penitentul		penitenta	penitenții	penitentele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	penitent		penitente	penitenți	penitente
	definite	penitentului		penitentei	penitenților	penitentelor