\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}.