Cathar
/ˈkæθɑɹ/
Cathar noun: a member of certain so self-styled Novatian and other medieval Christian sects embracing a form of dualism and extraordinary practices purportedly adhering to Mary Magdalene's teachings, persecuted by Roman Catholics as heretics.
Noun
Cathar (plural Cathari or Cathars)
- A member of certain so self-styled Novatian and other medieval Christian sects embracing a form of dualism and extraordinary practices purportedly adhering to Mary Magdalene's teachings, persecuted by Roman Catholics as heretics.
- The Albigenses, famous Cathars in and around Albi (southern France), were eradicated in a bloody ‘crusade’.
Forms of Cathar
| plural | Cathari |
|---|---|
| plural | Cathars |
Origin of Cathar
Recorded since the 16th century; from the masculine plural of Medieval Latin Catharī (“Pure (ones)”), from the masculine plural of Byzantine Greek καθαροί (katharoí, “Pure (ones)”), from the masculine singular of Byzantine Greek καθαρός (katharós, “Pure (one)”), from Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”).
Words formed from Cathar
Questions about Cathar
- What does Cathar mean?
- Cathar means a member of certain so self-styled Novatian and other medieval Christian sects embracing a form of dualism and extraordinary practices purportedly adhering to Mary Magdalene's teachings, persecuted by Roman Catholics as heretics.
- What part of speech is Cathar?
- Cathar is a noun.
- How do you pronounce Cathar?
- Cathar is pronounced /ˈkæθɑɹ/.
- What is the plural of Cathar?
- The plural of Cathar is Cathari.
Words near Cathar in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Cathar (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Cathar.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cathar. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.