Benedictine

From French bénédictin, from Latin benedictus, named after Italian 6th century Saint Benedict of Nursia (Latin: Benedictus Nursiae). Recorded in English from the 17th century. By surface analysis, Benedict +‎ -ine.

Benedictine (plural Benedictines)

1. A monk or nun belonging to the order founded by Saint Benedict of Nursia.
   • 1981 February 14, Peg Cruikshank, “The Warmth Shines Through”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 15:

     Some of her most interesting remarks on writing appear in her letters to Sister Mariella Gable, a strong-minded Minnesota Benedictine who admired O'Connor greatly. In the fifties, O'Connor tells a friend, when Sister Mariella's bishop ordered her to stop teaching Catcher in the Rye, she defied him and was banished.

2. A type of liqueur originating from the Benedictine cloister of Fécamp in France, made from cognac together with herb and spice extracts.

• Black Monk

Benedictine (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to St. Benedict of Nursia.
   • 2024 February 5, Kaitlyn Tiffany, “Meet Me in the Eternal City”, in The Atlantic‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Hypothetically, Srinivasan suggests network states for people who eat specific diets (kosher, keto), for people who don’t like FDA regulation, for people who don’t like cancel culture, for people who want to live like Benedictine monks, for people who might want to limit internet use by putting public buildings in Faraday cages.

2. Of or pertaining to the Benedictine Order.

• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Benedictine”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “Benedictine”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.