Carmelite

American  

[kahr-muh-lahyt] / ˈkɑr məˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a mendicant friar belonging to a religious order founded at Mt. Carmel, Palestine, in the 12th century; White Friar.

2. a nun belonging to this order.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Carmelites or their order.

Carmelite British  

/ ˈkɑːməˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a member of an order of mendicant friars founded about 1154; a White Friar

2. a member of a corresponding order of nuns founded in 1452, noted for its austere rule

3. (modifier) of or relating to the Carmelite friars or nuns

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Etymology

Origin of Carmelite

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin Carmelita, named after Carmel, first seat of the order; see -ite ¹

Example Sentences

The climax of the cancelled summit in Budapest would have been the moment he appeared on the balcony of the Carmelite Convent on Castle Hill, overlooking the Danube, flanked by Presidents Trump and Putin.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

In his new book he describes a dinner he had with Rossellini at L’Eau Vive, a restaurant run by French Carmelite nuns and frequented by Rossellini’s mother, Ingrid Bergman.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2024

As the Carmelite sisters fanned across the country, the Brooklyn Diocese later indicated that if any wanted to return, an empty Lithuanian Franciscan monastery in Cypress Hills was available.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2023

Blanche de la Force, a nervous, fretful young aristocrat, seeks to join an order of Carmelite nuns to quiet her mind and find refuge amid the chaos of the French Revolution.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2023

But these were sacred figures in rich velvet capes and glittery robes and shepherds' cloaks beautifully stitched to look ragged with patches by the Carmelite nuns.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez