anchorite

[ ang-kuh-rahyt ]
See synonyms for anchorite on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion; hermit.

Origin of anchorite

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English anc(h)orite, anachorite, ancorite, conflation of Middle English ancre (from Old English ancra, ancer ) and Old French anacorite or Late Latin anachōrīta, anachōrēta, from Late Greek anachōrētḗs, agent noun derivative of anachōreîn “to withdraw” + -tēs agent suffix

Other words from anchorite

  • an·cho·rit·ic [ang-kuh-rit-ik], /ˌæŋ kəˈrɪt ɪk/, adjective
  • an·cho·rit·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • an·cho·rit·ism [ang-kuh-rahy-tiz-uhm], /ˈæŋ kə raɪˌtɪz əm/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for anchorite

anchorite

/ (ˈæŋkəˌraɪt) /


noun
  1. a person who lives in seclusion, esp a religious recluse; hermit

Origin of anchorite

1
C15: from Medieval Latin anchorīta, from Late Latin anachōrēta, from Greek anakhōrētēs, from anakhōrein to retire, withdraw, from khōra a space

Derived forms of anchorite

  • anchoress, fem n

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