professus

Professus is a Latin participle meaning "having professed," from the verb profiteri. It appears in classical and ecclesiastical Latin as the perfect passive participle of profiteri, with gendered forms such as professus (masculine), professa (feminine), and professum (neuter). In medieval and early modern Latin documents, the term is used to indicate that a person has publicly professed a belief or, more commonly, religious vows.

In ecclesiastical contexts, professus typically designates a person who has completed a period of novitiate and taken vows within a monastic or mendicant order. The status may be described as temporary or solemn (perpetual) profession, distinguishing stages in the religious life. Common vows associated with profession include poverty, chastity, and obedience, though the precise form varies by order.

Outside strictly religious usage, professus appears in Latin liturgical texts, canon law, and hagiography to indicate that someone has professed a belief or allegiance. In modern English scholarship, the term is encountered primarily in translations of Latin sources; otherwise the sense is conveyed by the adjective "professed" rather than the Latin noun.