Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PEN'I-TENT, n.

1. One that repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his transgressions.
2. One under church censure, but admitted to penance. – Stillingfleet.
3. One under the direction of a confessor. Penitents is an appellation given to certain fraternities in Catholic countries, distinguished by their habits and employed in charitable acts. – Encyc. Order of penitents, a religious order established by one Bernard of Marseilles, about the year 1272, for the reception of reformed courtesans. The congregation of penitents at Paris, was founded with a similar view. – Encyc.