penitential

English

Alternative forms

• pœnitential (archaic)

Etymology

From Medieval Latin paenitentiālis, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance”). Attested since the 16th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl/
• Rhymes: -ɛnʃəl

Adjective

penitential (comparative more penitential, superlative most penitential)

1. Pertaining to penance or penitence
   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:

     Guilt that all the penitential fires of hereafter can not cleanse.

Noun

penitential (plural penitentials)

1. a book or set of rules pertaining to the Christian sacrament of penance