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(Lat. frater, Fr. frere, brother), a term common to monks of all kinds, founded on the supposition that there is a brotherhood between the persons of the same monastery. It is especially applied to members of the four mendicant orders, viz.
1. Franciscans, Minorites, or Gray Friars;
2. Augustines;
3. Dominicans, or Black Friars;
4. Carmelites, or White Friars.
In a more restricted sense, the word means a monk who is not a priest: those in orders are generally denominated father.