Discalced
Discalced is an adjective derived from the Latin discalceatus, meaning barefoot. In religious contexts, it designates orders or communities whose members adopt bare or minimally shod footwear as a symbol of poverty, humility, and penance. The term is especially associated with reform movements within Catholicism that sought stricter observance of evangelical counsels, often in response to perceived laxity.
The best-known use is with the Discalced Carmelites (Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum), a reform branch of the
The term has also appeared in reference to other reform groups within Catholic orders, used to signal