Male member of certain religious orders, notably, the Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians. The word comes from the Latin frater (brother). Since the 13th century it has described members of orders forbidden to hold property, so-called mendicants because they were expected to work or beg for a living; the Council of Trent loosened the restrictions on property ownership. They were not bound to a particular monastery. Friars differ from cloistered monks by their outside activity, and their highly centralized organization.
