A religious (using the word as a noun) is, in the terminology of the Catholic Church, a member of a religious institute, someone who belongs to “a society in which members…pronounce public vows…and lead a life of brothers or sisters in common”. Some classes of religious have also been referred to, though less commonly now than in the past, as regulars, because of living in accordance with a religious rule (regula in Latin) such as the Rule of Saint Benedict.