penitent
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
penitent/ˈpenɪtənt/
▶adjective feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong. ▶noun a person who repents their sins.
■ (in the Roman Catholic Church) a person who confesses their sins to a priest and submits to the penance that he imposes.
– derivatives
penitence noun,
penitential adjective,
penitently adverb.
penitence noun,
penitential adjective,
penitently adverb.
– origin ME: from OFr., from L. paenitent-, paenitere ‘repent’.
'penitent' also found in these Oxford entries:
