Question

What does the word “mendicant” mean? Why would groups like the Franciscans call themselves “mendicant?”

Answer 1

Mendicant is basically someone who is a beggar.

Answer 2

People who live off begging can be called Mendicants. Mendicant also implies extreme poverty. 
 
mendicant can also refer to a man belonging to a religious order, such as the Franciscan Friars — who do not own personal property but live together in a monastery and survive off alms donated by others. As an adjective, mendicant describes someone who lives such an existence.