cloister
a covered walk, especially in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade usually opening onto a courtyard.
a courtyard, especially in a religious institution, bordered with such walks.
a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.
any quiet, secluded place.
life in a monastery or convent.
to confine in a monastery or convent.
to confine in retirement; seclude.
to furnish with a cloister or covered walk.
to convert into a monastery or convent.
Origin of cloister
1Other words for cloister
Other words from cloister
- clois·ter·less, adjective
- clois·ter·like, adjective
Words Nearby cloister
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cloister in a sentence
The idea of the silence and solitude of the cloister inspired the highly-imaginative girl with a blaze of enthusiasm.
Madame Roland, Makers of History | John S. C. AbbottYes, I knew he would not be in, and so we left him lying down on the bench in the cloister till dinner was over.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte YongeI am not sure whether a cloister or a prison, commanding a fine view, be preferable to one without.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria GrahamYou will hear of him; he does not live in a cloister; he is always doing something for somebody.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterIn the cloister garden of the Cathedral are preserved a tesselated pavement and the sepulchral slab of a Roman warrior.
The Towns of Roman Britain | James Oliver Bevan
British Dictionary definitions for cloister
/ (ˈklɔɪstə) /
a covered walk, usually around a quadrangle in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade on the inside and a wall on the outside
(sometimes plural) a place of religious seclusion, such as a monastery
life in a monastery or convent
(tr) to confine or seclude in or as if in a monastery
Origin of cloister
1Derived forms of cloister
- cloister-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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