此一詞彙是由拉丁文的「兄弟」(frater)衍生而來，早期的基督徒習慣如此稱呼彼此。十三世紀末起，則用來指稱托缽修道會教團的成員。化緣修士與「修道士」(monk)不同之處在於，化緣修士專注於牧師的傳道職務，於世結交同胞、行乞，且居無定所，修道士則住在一固定的僻靜之地；此外，化緣修士起初不能夠擁有固定收入，僅能靠著信眾的布施過日子，修道士卻能擁有財產與收入，但也有個別的修道士發誓要貧簡度日。化緣修士教團一般分成兩種等級，也就是第二次里昂會議(the Second Council of Lyons)中提到的四大教團: 道明會(Dominicans)、方濟會(Franciscans)、卡美利會(Carmelites)，與奧古斯汀會(Augustinians)，以及較次要的諸教團。

托缽修士(天主教的)　(P,,U,繁體中文-偏好,D,U,U)
化緣修士(,U,繁體中文-非偏好,UF,,)
t'o po hsiu shih(P,,U,韋氏拼音-偏好,UF,U,U)
tuō bō xiū shì (P,,U,漢語拼音-偏好,UF,U,U)
tuo bo xiu shi (P,,U,漢語拼音(無聲調)-偏好,UF,U,U)
friars(P,,U,英文-偏好,D,U,PN)
friar(,U,英文-非偏好,AD,U,SN)

藝術與建築詞典根目錄
....代理者層面
........個體與群體
............人物
................<依職業區分之人物>
....................<人文學科從業者>
........................<宗教與相關領域從業者>
............................<宗教人士>
................................教徒
....................................托缽修士 (天主教的)

locational context/setting is....	托缽修會修道院
distinguished from....	修道士(隱世修士)

英文....

The term derives from the Latin "frater," the title by which early Christians customarily addressed each other. From the end of the 13th century, it referred to the members of the mendicant orders. Friars are distinguished from "monks" in that friars focus on a sacred ministry of preaching, mixing with their fellow men in the world, soliciting alms, and moving from place to place, while monks live in seclusion in a fixed place; in addition friars' orders originally could possess no fixed revenues, but lived upon the voluntary offerings of the faithful, while the orders of monks could possess property and revenues, although individual monks took vows of poverty. The orders of friars are usually divided into two classes, the four great orders mentioned by the Second Council of Lyons, Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, and the lesser orders.

托缽修士(天主教的)............	[AS-Academia Sinica]
.................	朗文當代大辭典 689
.................	大英百科全書線上繁體中文版 December 8, 2011
.................	弗萊徹建築史 202
化緣修士............	[AS-Academia Sinica]
.................	YAHOO!奇摩字典 July 08, 2020
.................	有道youdao詞典 July 08, 2020
friars............	[VP]
.................	New Catholic Encyclopedia [online] (2003-) accessed 17 November 2007
.................	Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1986)
.................	American Heritage Dictionary (2000)
friar............	[VP]
.................	New Catholic Encyclopedia [online] (2003-)

Getty AAT: 300266789 Getty AAT: http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=costume&logic=AND¬e=&subjectid=300266789
聯合目錄： 托缽修士 、化緣修士 、t'o po hsiu shih 、tuō bō xiū shì 、tuo bo xiu shi 、friars 、friar