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Definition of penitential adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

penitential

adjective

/ˌpenɪˈtenʃl/

/ˌpenɪˈtenʃl/

(formal)

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showing that you are sorry for having done something wrong
- to be in a penitential mood
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from late Latin paenitentialis, from Latin paenitentia ‘repentance’.

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See penitential in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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