Blackfriars

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A district of central London on the north bank of the Thames, named after a former medieval monastery ; a member of the Dominican religious order, known for wearing a black habit
2. An area in central London beside the River Thames, named for an old monastery ; a Dominican friar who wears a black robe
3. A riverside locality in the City of London, named after a medieval religious house ; a friar belonging to the Dominican order, identified by a dark habit

Etymology: Blackfriars is simply the plural of "blackfriar", a name for a Dominican friar, so the word is an English compound describing the order's black habit. The Dominicans were called Black Friars because they wore a black cloak over a white habit, a contrast that set them apart from other mendicant orders. The place name comes from the monastery itself. The Dominican house on the north bank of the Thames gave its name to the surrounding district, and the area kept the title long after the friars had gone. Today the name survives on London's Blackfriars Bridge and the Blackfriars station, both of which take their names from the district rather than from any single building.