"worldly minded man, one addicted to fleshly practices," 1570s, from carnal + -ite (1). Carnalist (1620s) also was used.
Entries linking to carnalite
carnal adj.
c. 1400, "physical, human, mortal," from Old French carnal and directly from Latin carnalis "fleshly, of the flesh," from carnis "of the flesh," genitive of caro "flesh, meat," probably originally "a piece of flesh" (from PIE root *sker- (1) "to cut").
The meaning "sensual, pertaining to the passions and appetites of the flesh" is from early 15c.; that of "worldly, sinful, not spiritual" is from mid-15c. Carnal knowledge "sexual intercourse" is attested from early 15c. and was in legal use by 1680s. Medieval Latin carnalis meant "natural, of the same blood," a sense sometimes found in Middle English carnal.
-ite 1
word-forming element indicating origin or derivation from, from French -ite and directly from Latin -ita, from Greek -ites (fem. -itis), word-forming element making adjectives and nouns meaning "connected with or belonging to." Especially used in classical times to form ethnic and local designations (for example in Septuagint translations of Hebrew names in -i) and for names of gems and minerals.