2 entries 1 source
Recusant
Open directlyWebster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 1 of 2
Part of speech: noun (n.)
1. One who is obstinate in refusal; one standing out stubbornly against general practice or opinion. The last rebellious recusants among the European family of nations. De Quincey.
2. A person who refuses to acknowledge the supremacy of the king in matters of religion; as, a Roman Catholic recusant, who acknowledges the supremacy of the pope. Brande & C.
3. One who refuses communion with the Church of England; a nonconformist. All that are recusants of holy rites. Holyday.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 2 of 2
Part of speech: adjective (a.)
Obstinate in refusal; specifically, in English history, refusing to acknowledge the supremacy of the king in the churc, or to conform to the established rites of the church; as, a recusant lord. It stated him to have placed his son in the household of the Countess of Derby, a recusant papist. Sir W. Scott.