monk

¹ American  

[muhngk] / mʌŋk /

noun

1. (in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

   Synonyms:

   brother

2. (in any religion) a man who is a member of a monastic order.

   a Buddhist monk.

3. Printing. a dark area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type.

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Monk ² American  

[muhngk] / mʌŋk /

noun

1. (James) Arthur Art, born 1957, U.S. football player.

2. Thelonious (Sphere), 1917–1982, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.

3. George. Monck, George.

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Monk ¹ British  

/ mʌŋk /

noun

1. Thelonious ( Sphere ) (θəˈləʊnɪəs). 1920–82, US jazz pianist and composer

2. a variant spelling of (George) Monck

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monk ² British  

/ mʌŋk /

noun

1. a male member of a religious community bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

2. (sometimes capital) a fancy pigeon having a bald pate and often large feathered feet

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Related Words

Monk, friar refer to members of special male groups whose lives are devoted to the service of the church, especially in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. A monk is properly a member of a monastery, under a superior; he is bound by a vow of stability, and is a co-owner of the community property of the monastery. Since the Reformation, monk and friar have been used as if they were the same. A friar is, however, strictly speaking, a member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.

Etymology

Origin of monk

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Greek monachós “hermit,” noun use of adjective: “solitary,” equivalent to món(os) “alone” + -achos adjective suffix

Example Sentences

The bus is full of ladies with shopping bags, girls in school uniforms, and two bald monks.

From Literature

Dancing to drums in downtown Yangon, the crowd of nationalist activists and saffron-robed monks twirled miniature national flags and toted banners denying accusations of ethnic cleansing being levelled at The Hague.

From Barron's

Then, just like a couple of obsessive-compulsive monks, we dispatch to our respective workstations.

From The Wall Street Journal

An 11th-century monk mapped pitches onto the human hand when directing his choir—unlocking a new connection between the eye and the ear.

From The Wall Street Journal

She introduces an 11th-century Benedictine monk named Guido, who taught his singing students about “the intervals between notes” by pointing to different parts of his hand.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abbot
• friar
• priest