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Penitent vs Repent - What's the difference?

penitent | repent |

Repent is a related term of penitent.



As adjectives the difference between penitent and repent

is that penitent is feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life while repent is creeping along the ground.

As a noun penitent

is one who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.

As a verb repent is

to feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".

penitent

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic) * (qualifier)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life.
  • * 1838 , , (The Anatomy of Melancholy) , B. Blake, p.730,
  • If thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these heinous sins shall not be laid to thy charge.
  • * Milton
  • Be penitent , and for thy fault contrite.
  • Doing penance.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.
  • One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.
  • * 1837 , William Russell, The History of Modern Europe: with an Account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Longman, Rees, & Co., page 20,
  • Wamba, who defeated the Saracens in an attempt upon Spain, was deprived of the crown, because he had been clothed in the habit of a penitent , while labouring under the influence of poison, administered by the ambitious Erviga!
  • One under the direction of a confessor.
  • Synonyms

    * penaunt

    repent

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) repentir, from (re-) + a late derivative of (etyl) , alteration of (etyl) paenitere.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (label) To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".
  • *
  • *:And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
  • To be sorry for sin as morally evil, and to seek forgiveness; to cease to practice sin and to love.
  • :
  • *
  • *:I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish.
  • (label) To feel pain on account of; to remember with sorrow.
  • (label) To be sorry for, to regret.
  • :
  • To cause to have sorrow or regret.
  • *, Bk.VII:
  • *:at that time she wolde nat, she seyde, for she was syke and myght nat ryde. "That me repentith ," seyde the kynge.
  • *
  • *:And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
  • To cause (oneself) to feel pain or regret.
  • Synonyms
    * (l) * (l)
    Derived terms
    *

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Adjective

  • (chiefly, botany) Creeping along the ground.
  • Synonyms
    * reptant

    References

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