Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

peccant

/ˈpɛk(ə)nt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
pec-cant
IPA
/ˈpɛk(ə)nt/
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of a person, etc.: that commits or has committed an offence or a sin; blameworthy, culpable, offending, sinful, sinning.

Archaic

adj

Of an action or thing: causing offence or sin; offensive, sinful.

Archaic

adj

Especially of humours of the body: diseased, unhealthy; also, causing disease.

Archaic

adj

Offending a norm, a rule, etc.; defective, faulty, wrong.

Archaic; Obsolete

noun

An offender; also, a sinner.

Archaic; Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: peccant, peccantis, peccāns, *ped-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɛk(ə)nt/
  • British English: /ˈpɛk(ə)nt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more peccant (comparative) most peccant (superlative) peccants (plural)

Derived Forms

peccantly peccantness

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce peccant?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛk(ə)nt/.
What does peccant mean?
Of a person, etc.: that commits or has committed an offence or a sin; blameworthy, culpable, offending, sinful, sinning.
Where does peccant come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce peccant

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “peccant”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɛk(ə)nt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “peccant”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “peccant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.