- The name which St. Francis of Assisi gave to his
followers, early in the 13th century. - A sect which seceded from the Franciscan Order,
chiefly in Italy and Sicily, in 1294, repudiating the pope as an
apostate, maintaining the duty of celibacy and poverty, and
discountenancing oaths. Called also Fratricellians and Fraticelli.
Definition
[ n. pl.]