A member of a lay sisterhood in the Low Countries and parts of Europe, typically living in communities but not taking full monastic vows.
From Middle Dutch 'begijn' or Old French 'béguine,' possibly from the name of Lambert Bègue, a 12th-century Liège priest who founded a movement of devout women. The term spread across medieval Europe for these informal religious communities.
Beguines were radical for medieval times—women living together independently, supporting themselves through work (not dowries), and choosing their own spiritual path without male monastic oversight, making them controversial with the Church.
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