Definition

Noun: - A person afflicted with leprosy: Historically, a term for someone suffering from the infectious disease leprosy, which affects the skin and nerves. The word is now archaic.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The medieval town had a colony for lazar patients outside its walls.
  • In the parable, the rich man ignored the suffering lazar at his gate.

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily found in historical, religious, or literary contexts, often to evoke a sense of extreme poverty, sickness, and social ostracism from past eras.
• It is derived from the biblical name Lazarus, a beggar covered in sores in a parable told by Jesus (Gospel of Luke).

Variants and Related Words

• Lazar-house (n, archaic): A hospital or shelter for people with leprosy; a leper colony.
  • The ruins of the old lazar-house can still be seen on the hill.

Synonyms

• Leper: The more common modern term for a person with leprosy.
• Outcast: A person rejected by society, which was often the fate of a lazar.

Related Idioms

• While not a common idiom itself, the word is intrinsically linked to the "Lazar and Dives" story (Dives being the rich man), which is sometimes referenced to illustrate themes of wealth, poverty, and divine justice.

Noun

1. a person afflicted with leprosy