hermit
[ hur-mit ]
/ ˈhɜr mɪt /
noun
a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
any person living in seclusion; recluse.
Zoology. an animal of solitary habits.
Ornithology. any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis, having curved bills and dull-colored rather than iridescent plumage.
a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.
Obsolete. a beadsman.
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Origin of hermit
1175–1225; Middle English ermite, hermite, heremite < Old French < Late Latin erēmīta < Greek erēmītḗs living in a desert, equivalent to erḗm(ia) desert (derivative of erêmos desolate) + -ītēs -ite1
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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British Dictionary definitions for hermit
hermit
/ (ˈhɜːmɪt) /
noun
one of the early Christian recluses
any person living in solitude
Derived forms of hermit
hermitic or hermitical, adjectivehermitically, adverbhermit-like, adjectiveWord Origin for hermit
C13: from Old French hermite, from Late Latin erēmīta, from Greek erēmitēs living in the desert, from erēmia desert, from erēmos lonely
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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