Clarissa en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /kləˈɹɪsə/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian Clarissa, from Medieval Latin Clarissa; see there for more. Popularized in English by Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel Clarissa. Doublet of Clarisse.
Meanings
-
Synonym of Poor Clare: a nun of the Order of Saint Clare.
In the protomonastero of Santa Chiara in Assisi, erected from the outset for the Clarissas, however, equally frequent changes and modifications in the location of the nuns' choir suggest that there were still uncertainties as to the best place for it.
1992, Caroline A. Bruzelius, “Hearing Is Believing: Clarissan Architecture, ca. 1213–1340”, in Gesta, volume 31, number 2, page 85:The rule of Urban IV also clarified the nomenclature of the Clarissas, with the pope designating the group as the Order of St. Claire rather than Poor Ladies, or Poor Recluses, of San Damiano.
1995, Caroline A. Bruzelius, “Queen Sancia of Mallorca and the Convent Church of Sta. Chiara in Naples”, in Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, volume 40, page 75:Following Francis' example, Clare founded an order of religious women known as the Poor Ladies of Assisi (like Francis' Poor Men), and later as the Clarissas or Poor Clares in her honor.
1991, Thomas Head, “Clare of Assisi”, in An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarissas | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| clarissa | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
Translations (5)
it Clarissa (female given name) · mr क्लारिसा (female given name) · la Clarissa (female given name) · pl Klarysa (female given name) · fr Clarisse (female given name)