suplicante

Suplicante is a noun in Spanish that denotes a person who supplicates—someone who makes a humble request or plea to an authority. The term can refer to a petitioner, applicant, or supplicant who seeks mercy, relief, or redress from a person or institution, such as a judge, ruler, or religious figure. In religious contexts, it may describe a faithful petitioner before God or a saint.

Etymology: Suplicante derives from Latin supplicans, supplicant- from supplicare, meaning to beg or beseech. The root is linked to supplex, kneeling, reflecting the gesture traditionally associated with begging for mercy.

Usage: In historical or formal texts, suplicant is used to designate one who presents a petition or plea. In modern Spanish, the term is relatively formal or literary; more common equivalents in everyday language include solicitante or petitionante, depending on the context. The word often appears in legal, administrative, or ecclesiastical writing, as well as in classical literature.

See also: Supplication, petition, petitionary prayers, and related terms in legal and religious discourse. The concept encompasses both secular pleas before institutions and devotional requests before deities or saints.