Grey Friars
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Franciscans fa.v.). Black Friars are Dominicans, and White Friars Carmelites.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Grey Friars” mean?
Franciscans fa.v.). Black Friars are Dominicans, and White Friars Carmelites.
Is “Grey Friars” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.