penitent

See also: pénitent

English

WOTD – 9 July 2012

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin paenitens, poenitens ‎(“penitent”), present participle of Latin paenitere, poenitere ‎(“to cause to repent, intrans. repent, regret”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛnɪtənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

penitent ‎(comparative more penitent, superlative most penitent)

1. Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life.
   • 1838, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, B. Blake, p.730,

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

   • Milton

     Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite.

2. Doing penance.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:remorseful

Translations

Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life

• Armenian: զղջացող ‎(złǰacʿoł), ապաշխարող ‎(apašxaroł)
• Catalan: penedit
• Esperanto: pentanta
• Finnish: katuvainen, katuva (fi)
• German: reumütig, reuig (de); bußfertig (religion)

• Greek: μετανοών m ‎(metanoón)
• Kurdish: poşman (ku)
• Russian: кающийся (ru) ‎(kajuščijsja), раскаивающийся (ru) ‎(raskaivajuščijsja)
• Swedish: botfärdig, ångerfull

Doing penance

• Catalan: penitent (ca)

• Swedish: botgörande

Noun

penitent ‎(plural penitents)

1. One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.
2. One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.
   • 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)
• Esperanto: pentanto
• Finnish: katumuksentekijä
• French: pénitent (fr) m

• German: Reumütiger m; Bußfertiger m (religion)
• Maori: kairīpenetā
• Swedish: botfärdig syndare c

one undergoing penance

• Catalan: penitent (ca)
• German: Büßer m

• Swedish: botgörare c

one under the direction of a confessor

• Armenian: խոստովանորդի (hy) ‎(xostovanordi)
• Catalan: penitent (ca)

• German: Beichtkind n
• Swedish: biktbarn n

Synonyms

• penaunt

Related terms

• pen
• penance
• penitence
• penitente
• penitentiary
• repent
• repentance
• repentant

External links

• penitent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• penitent in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• penitent at OneLook Dictionary Search