hermit

American  

[hur-mit] / ˈhɜr mɪt /

noun

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 a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

   Synonyms:

   cenobite , anchorite , monastic , eremite

2. any person living in seclusion; recluse.

3. Zoology.  an animal of solitary habits.

4. Ornithology.  any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis, having curved bills and dull-colored rather than iridescent plumage.

5. a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.

6. Obsolete.  a beadsman.

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hermit British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪt /

noun

1. one of the early Christian recluses

2. any person living in solitude

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Other Word Forms

• hermit-like adjective
• hermitic adjective
• hermitical adjective
• hermitically adverb
• hermitish adjective
• hermitlike adjective
• hermitry noun
• hermitship noun
• unhermitic adjective
• unhermitical adjective
• unhermitically adverb

Etymology

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 -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Yet the movie also sinks deeply into the specific, personal mysteries of a man who’s whispered about as a “hermit,” but who pursues his own vision for how his life might be shaped.

From Los Angeles Times

North Korea is one of the world's most repressive totalitarian states, with Kim and his family ruling the hermit nation for decades.

From BBC

It’s another element in Saudi Arabia’s about-face from a hermit kingdom notorious for puritanical laws to a tourist destination that can draw 150 million visitors a year.

From Los Angeles Times

Has there ever been a better time to be a hermit?

From Salon

Conductor Sir Simon Rattle spoke of her as a "flying hermit", always in orbit and only occasionally visiting Earth.

From BBC

Related Words

• recluse