from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Fratricelli \Fra`tri*cel"li\, n. pl. [It. fraticelli, lit.,
little brothers, dim. fr. frate brother, L. frater.] (Eccl.
Hist.)
(a) The name which St. Francis of Assisi gave to his
followers, early in the 13th century.
(b) A sect which seceded from the Franciscan Order, chiefly
in Italy and Sicily, in 1294, repudiating the pope as an
apostate, maintaining the duty of celibacy and poverty,
and discountenancing oaths. Called also {Fratricellians}
and {Fraticelli}.
[1913 Webster]