Gosh, fbharjo, I just was not putting mendicant together with mendacious -- I was thinking of the wandering ascetic definition of it, mendicant monk, like.
mendicant's etymology is fascinating and amazingly parallel to peccant---
1616, from M.Fr. mendacieux, from L. mendacium "a lie," from mendax (gen. mendacis) "lying, deceitful," related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing" (cf. amend, mendicant), from PIE base *mend- "physical defect, fault." The sense evolution of mendax influenced by mentiri "to speak falsely, lie, deceive." Mendacity is attested from 1646.
A mendicant is finding a blemish in whom - himself or in the potential giver???
"'As I thought, it is your liver that is the peccant part; or at least the most peccant of your parts.'"
--O'Brian, The Truelove, 15
Gosh, fbharjo, I just was not putting mendicant together with mendacious -- I was thinking of the wandering ascetic definition of it, mendicant monk, like.
mendicant's etymology is fascinating and amazingly parallel to peccant---
1616, from M.Fr. mendacieux, from L. mendacium "a lie," from mendax (gen. mendacis) "lying, deceitful," related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing" (cf. amend, mendicant), from PIE base *mend- "physical defect, fault." The sense evolution of mendax influenced by mentiri "to speak falsely, lie, deceive." Mendacity is attested from 1646.
A mendicant is finding a blemish in whom - himself or in the potential giver???
not even a little! from the OED:
1. a. Unhealthy, corrupt, diseased; causing disease. Formerly esp. of a bodily humour. Now arch. and hist.
2. a. Of a person or other agent: that commits or has committed a sin or an offence; sinning, offending; culpable.
b. Of an action or thing: offensive; sinful.
as in mendicant???