hermit

[ hur-mit ]

/ ˈhɜr mɪt /

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See synonyms for: hermit / hermitical / hermitic / hermitlike on Thesaurus.com

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a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.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.

OTHER WORDS FOR hermit

1 eremite, monastic, anchorite, cenobite.

See synonyms for hermit on Thesaurus.com

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM hermit

her·mit·ic, her·mit·i·cal, her·mit·ish, adjectiveher·mit·i·cal·ly, adverbher·mit·like, adjectiveher·mit·ry, her·mit·ship, noun

un·her·mit·ic, adjectiveun·her·mit·i·cal, adjectiveun·her·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby hermit

Hermes Trismegistus, hermetic, hermetically, Hermeticism, Hermione, hermit, hermitage, hermit crab, Hermite, Hermitian conjugate, Hermitian matrix

How to use hermit in a sentence

Our hermit—we’ll later learn his name is Rob—trades his truffles for necessary goods.
In Pig, Nicolas Cage Plays a Grouchy, Meditative Hermit—and Gives His Best Performance in Years|Stephanie Zacharek|July 15, 2021|Time
I’d grown used to hermit life, and the prospect of driving across the bridge to sing in a bar with strangers seemed risky, both health-wise, with reports of new variants around the world, and socially.
Karaoke Was Always an Escape Before the Pandemic. Now It's More Than That|Aimee Phan|July 12, 2021|Time
A hermit, asked how he’s doing, answers, “Oh, same old, same old.”
The action-packed saga ‘Monkey King: Journey to the West’ gets a modern take|Michael Dirda|March 3, 2021|Washington Post
During a summer internship for a local newspaper, she covered a hermit crab beauty pageant.
Date Lab: She had many fun stories to share. He kept asking about work.|Marin Cogan|February 18, 2021|Washington Post

A trip to North Korea introduced Monisha Rajesh to Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy, which she describes as “a gripping examination of the so-called hermit kingdom through the voices of six defectors.”
The Best Adventure Travel Books of 2020|Heather Greenwood Davis|December 15, 2020|Outside Online
The FBI and the President may claim that the Hermit Kingdom is to blame for the most high-profile network breach in forever.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How ironic that the Hermit Kingdom is taking the blame for our first real look inside a clique that not even Vice dares penetrate.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Someone called him a hermit crab lurking in the halls of the United Nations.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Hermit Kingdom has opened its embassy doors for an exhibit highlighting the work of six artists from its state-run studio.
North Korea’s Propaganda Art Exhibit in London|Nico Hines|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Considering the grand tradition of un-predictability in the Hermit Kingdom, there are countless other possibilities.
Gout or Out: North Korea’s No-Show Leader Keeps ‘Em Guessing|Kevin Bleyer|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was the Hermit's vast store of scientific knowledge that brought the half-dead cop back to health.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
He flattened out the slip of paper and placed it on the table in front of the Hermit.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
In the Ozarks he made his living by hunting and fishing, and for some years lived almost the life of a hermit.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
He took an apartment in the Temple, turned his back on his friends, and became an inaccessible hermit.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
"But an ordinary hermit wouldn't be able to play like a virtuoso," objected Amy.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope

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, adjective

Word 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hermit

OTHER WORDS FOR hermit

Origin of hermit

OTHER WORDS FROM hermit

Words nearby hermit

Words related to hermit

How to use hermit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hermit

Derived forms of hermit

Word Origin for hermit