Jump to:

• hermitage
  hermitage

  noun

  the habitation of a hermit.
• Hermitage
  Hermitage

  noun

  an art museum in St Petersburg, originally a palace built by Catherine the Great

hermitage

American  

[hur-mi-tij, er-mi-tahzh] / ˈhɜr mɪ tɪdʒ, ˌɛr mɪˈtɑʒ /

noun

1. the habitation of a hermit.

2. any secluded place of residence or habitation; retreat; hideaway.

3. (initial capital letter) a palace in Leningrad built by Catherine II and now used as an art museum.

---

hermitage ¹ British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

1. the abode of a hermit

2. any place where a person may live in seclusion; retreat

---

Hermitage ² British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

1. an art museum in St Petersburg, originally a palace built by Catherine the Great

---

Hermitage ³ British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a full-bodied red or white wine from the Rhône valley at Tain-l'Ermitage, in SE France

---

Etymology

Origin of hermitage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; see hermit, eremite, -age

Explanation

Your summer cabin deep in the woods where you go to think about how funny life is sometimes? If you want to sound fancy, it could be called a hermitage, a dwelling removed from civilization. The noun hermitage has origins in the French word hermite, meaning “hermit,” a person who lives alone, far from society. Hermitage can describe the place where a hermit lives, or a dwelling occupied by an isolated religious group that prefers solitude. But the word is likely to be used more broadly to describe a secluded or remote dwelling, a place of solitude, where you won’t run into a neighbor while mowing the lawn in the backyard.

Example Sentences

Impersonators then sought refunds of $230 million in capital-gains taxes that Hermitage had paid to Russia’s government, according to the charging documents.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

If budget isn’t a concern, I’d recommend Hôtel Hermitage or Hôtel de Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

They are now regular visitors to the grand Hermitage Museum, housed in the former palace of the Tsars.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

Both the archaeologist and the Hermitage insist all their finds remain in Crimea as they are transferred to the Eastern Crimean Museum in Kerch.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

After he was freed from the Nashville jail, Alfred returned to the Hermitage, where he and Gracy would spend the rest of their lives.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis