Augustinians

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Members of religious orders who live under the monastic rule written by Saint Augustine of Hippo ; adherents who follow the theological doctrines and writings of that same early Church father
2. Friars and canons belonging to communities that observe the rule attributed to Saint Augustine ; scholars and believers who uphold the theology of Augustine of Hippo as their guiding framework
3. Religious brothers and priests of orders bound by the Augustinian rule ; thinkers and believers who adopt and defend the doctrinal positions of the fourth-century bishop Augustine

Etymology: The plural "augustinians" refers to members of the religious orders that follow the Rule of St Augustine, and the adjective "Augustinian" names the same group. The name traces back to Augustine of Hippo, the fourth- and fifth-century North African bishop whose writings shaped Western Christian thought. Latin "Augustīnus" was his name, and the suffix "-iānus" turned it into a word meaning "belonging to Augustine." Medieval Latin then used the form "Augustīniānus" for the religious communities that claimed his rule as their guide. English took the word through Middle English "Augustinen," so the term is a learned borrowing rather than a word that came down through everyday speech. The source also notes a second, learned Latin route, "Augustīniānī," which was named after an unidentified person of the same name, but the Augustine of Hippo link is the one that carries the meaning. The suffix "-ian" in English does the same job as "-iānus" in Latin, so the modern form keeps the original pattern of a person's name plus a marker of belonging.