A building or community where friars live, pray, and work together under religious rules and a shared leader.
From Old French 'fraerie' or 'frerie,' derived from 'frere' meaning 'brother.' The English '-ary' suffix, from Latin '-arium,' indicates a place or building where something is done or kept, as in 'library,' 'apiary,' or 'aviary.'
Friaries were fundamentally different from monasteries because friars took vows of poverty and went out into the world to serve people, while monks typically stayed behind monastery walls. The most famous friars were the Franciscans and Dominicans, and they played huge roles in medieval education and social work.
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