peccant
Syllables: pec·cant/ˈpɛk(ə)nt/
peccant adjective: of a person, etc.: that commits or has committed an offence or a sin; blameworthy, culpable, offending, sinful, sinning.
Adjective
peccant (comparative more peccant, superlative most peccant)
- Of a person, etc.: that commits or has committed an offence or a sin; blameworthy, culpable, offending, sinful, sinning.
- But let us call to Synod all the Bleſt / Through Heav'ns wide bounds; from them I will not hide / My judgments, how with Mankind I proceed, / As how with peccant Angels late they ſaw; / And in thir ſtate, though firm, ſtood more confirmd.1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- [T]hat a peccant Creature ſhould diſapprove, and repent of every Violation of, and Declination from the Rules of juſt and honeſt, this, right Reaſon diſcourſing upon the Stock of its ovvn Principles, could not but infer.1690 November 11 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar); first published 1694, Robert South, “Natural Religion, without Revelation, Shewn Only Sufficient to Render a Sinner Inexcusable: In a Sermon...
- Of an action or thing: causing offence or sin; offensive, sinful.
- [O]ur ovvne Statutes […] preciſely prohibit the ſatyricall depraving, traducing, or derogation of the Common Prayer-Booke, and of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in any Enterludes, Playes or Rimes, (in vvhich kinde Playes had been formerly peccant) under ſevere penalties.1632 (indicated as 1633), William Prynne, “Actus 3, Scena Sexta”, in Histrio-mastix. The Players Scourge, or, Actors Tragædie, […], London: […] E[lizabeth] A[llde,] [Thomas Cotes, Augustine Matthews]...
- [T]he VVorld is novv ſo peccant upon this Account, that I am afraid Inſtances vvould be miſtaken for Invectives.1659 August 2 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar); first published 1692, Robert South, “Interest Deposed, and Truth Restored: Or, A Word in Season, Deliver’d in Two Sermons: The First at St. Mary’s...
- Especially of humours of the body: diseased, unhealthy; also, causing disease.
- Thus haue I deſcribed and opened as by a kinde of diſſection, thoſe peccant humors (the principall of them) vvhich hath not onely giuen impediment to the proficence of Learning, but haue giuen alſo occaſion, to the traducement thereof: […]1605, Francis Bacon, “The First Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for...
- It is allowed, that Senates and great Councils are often troubled with redundant, ebullient, and other peccant Humours, with many Diſeaſes of the Head and more of the Heart; with ſtrong Convulſions, with grievous Contractions of the Nerves and Sinews in both Hands, but eſpecially the Right; with...1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of the Academy. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte...
- Offending a norm, a rule, etc.; defective, faulty, wrong.
- Nor is the Party cited bound to appear, if the Citation be evidently peccant in point of Form or Matter.1726, John Ayliffe, “Of Church-yards, &c.”, in Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani: Or, A Commentary, by Way of Supplement to the Canons and Constitutions of the Church of England. […], London: […] D....
- Olive rested her eyes for some moments upon Mrs. Luna, without speaking. Then she said: 'Your veil is not put on straight, Adeline.' / 'I look like a monster—that, evidently, is what you mean!' Adeline exclaimed, going to the mirror to rearrange the peccant tissue.1885–1886, Henry James, chapter XII, in The Bostonians […], London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 16 February 1886, →OCLC, 1st book, page 94
Noun
peccant (plural peccants)
- An offender; also, a sinner.
- Yet this conceitedneſſe and Itch of being taken for a Counſellour, maketh more Reprovers, than Peccants in the vvorld.1654, Richard Whitlock, Ζωοτομία [Zōotomía], or, Observations on the Present Manners of the English: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Roycroft, and are to be sold by Humphrey Moseley, […], →OCLC, page 388
peccant meaning in Tamil, Urdu and Kannada
peccant in Tamil
- நோயுறல், நோய்த் தொற்று நலமின்மை
peccant in Urdu
- گناہکار, خطا کار, مفسد, شری
peccant in Kannada
- ದೋಷಯುಕ್ತ, ಪಾಪ ಮಾಡುವ, ಪಾಪಯುಕ್ತ
Examples of peccant in a sentence
- [He] was bereaving his houses of the matronly government, deprived of which they were all of them likely soon to be at sixes and sevens with disorderly lacqueys, peccant maids, and cooks in hysterics.1876, George Meredith, “Renée”, in Beauchamp’s Career […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 75:
- And we have a certain instinct, that where is great amount of life, though gross and peccant, it has its own checks and purifications, and will be found at last in harmony with moral laws.1860, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Essay II. Power.”, in The Conduct of Life, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 52:
- [O]ne feels that no community can really be as purged of peccant humours as the typical American has for the most part found itself foredoomed to look.1906 August, Henry James, “Baltimore”, in The American Scene, London: Chapman and Hall, published 30 January 1907, →OCLC, section II, page...
Synonyms of peccant
Forms of peccant
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more peccant |
| superlative | most peccant |
| Noun | |
| plural | peccants |
Origin of peccant
The adjective is borrowed from Middle French peccant (“unhealthy”) (modern French peccant), and from its etymon Late Latin peccantis, the genitive singular of peccāns (“offending; sinning, transgressing”, adjective), from Latin peccāns (“wrongdoer”), a noun use of the active present participle of peccō (“to offend; to sin, transgress”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“to fall; to stumble; to step; to walk”). As regards adjective sense 3 (“diseased, unhealthy”) as used in peccant humours, compare Middle French l'umeur peccante, humeurs peccantes, Old French humeurs pechantes, and Late Latin humores peccantes. The noun is derived from the adjective.
Words formed from peccant
- peccantly
- peccantness
Questions about peccant
- What does peccant mean?
- Peccant means of a person, etc.: that commits or has committed an offence or a sin; blameworthy, culpable, offending, sinful, sinning.
- What is peccant in Tamil?
- Peccant in Tamil is நோயுறல், நோய்த் தொற்று நலமின்மை. See Peccant meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use peccant in a sentence?
- [He] was bereaving his houses of the matronly government, deprived of which they were all of them likely soon to be at sixes and sevens with disorderly lacqueys, peccant maids, and cooks in hysterics.
- What part of speech is peccant?
- Peccant can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce peccant?
- Peccant is pronounced /ˈpɛk(ə)nt/ (UK).
Words near peccant in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: peccant (page history and authors); peccant (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); peccant (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); peccant (Kannada Wiktionary) (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.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-peccant.wav.
Cite this entry: “peccant.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/peccant. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.