SINCE 1828

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postulant

noun pos·tu·lant \ ˈpäs-chə-lənt \

Updated on: 8 Mar 2018

Definition of postulant

1 : a person admitted to a religious order as a probationary candidate for membership

2 : a person on probation before being admitted as a candidate for holy orders in the Episcopal Church

Recent Examples of postulant from the Web

Maria, a postulant at a convent near Salzburg, Austria, is detached from her duties to be governess to the seven motherless children of Baron Von Trapp.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Sound of Music': THR's 1965 Review," 2 Mar. 2018
After high school, he was accepted as a postulant to the Augustinian Academy in Staten Island, N.Y., and was accepted to the Order in September 1946.

— adia h. robinson, Philly.com, "Father Joseph Xavier O'Connor, 89, Augustinian priest," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'postulant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of postulant

French, petitioner, candidate, postulant, from Middle French, from present participle of postuler to demand, solicit, from Latin postulare

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First Known Use: 1721

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