Passionist

noun

Pas·​sion·​ist ˈpa-sh(ə-)nist How to pronounce Passionist (audio)
: a member of a Roman Catholic mendicant order founded by St. Paul of the Cross in Italy in 1720 and devoted chiefly to missionary work and retreats

Word History

Etymology

Italian passionista, from passione passion, from Late Latin passion-, passio

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Passionist was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near Passionist

Cite this Entry

“Passionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Passionist. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Passionist

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!