I. -nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin paenitent-, paenitens, present participle of paenitēre to be sorry, cause to be sorry
: feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses : sincerely affected by a sense of guilt and resolved on amendment of life
saw him lose his temper … for a second and he was penitent about it for a day or two — W.A.White
wrote a penitent letter apologizing for her hasty words
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from penitent (adjective)
1. : a person who repents of sin : one sorrowful because of his transgressions
2. : a person under church censure but admitted to penance especially under the direction of a confessor
3. often capitalized : a member of one of many confraternities of lay persons bound to penitential exercises and works of charity very numerous from the 13th to the 16th centuries and often named from their garb
blue penitents
white penitents