friar

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A member of a usually mendicant Roman Catholic order.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In the Roman Catholic Church, a member of one of the mendicant monastic orders. The four orders whose members are chiefly known as friars are the Franciscans (Friars Minor or Gray Friars), Dominicans (Friars Major, Friars Preachers, or Black Friars), Carmelites (White F'riars), and Augustinians (Austin Friars). The members of some minor orders are also so called, as the Minims and Servites.
2. n. In printing, a gray or indistinct spot or patch in print, usually made by imperfect inking: distinguished from monk.
3. n. An Irish name of the angler, Lophius piscatorius.
4. n. A fish of the family Atherinidæ.
5. n. The friar-bird or leatherhead. See friarbird.
6. n. A small flake of light-colored sediment floating in wine.

Wiktionary

1. n. A member of certain Christian orders such as the Augustinians, Carmelites (white friars), Franciscans (grey friars) or the Dominicans (black friars).

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (R. C. Ch.) A brother or member of any religious order, but especially of one of the four mendicant orders, viz: (a) Minors, Gray Friars, or Franciscans. (b) Augustines. (c) Dominicans or Black Friars. (d) White Friars or Carmelites. See these names in the Vocabulary.
2. n. (Print.) A white or pale patch on a printed page.
3. n. (Zoöl.) An American fish; the silversides.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms