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.

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hermitage ¹ British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

1. the abode of a hermit

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

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Hermitage ² British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

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

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Hermitage ³ British  

/ ˈhɜːmɪtɪdʒ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of hermitage

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

Example Sentences

The manuscript opens with the life of Giovanni of Florence, who built the Augustinian hermitage of Santa Lucia in Larniano with help from local farmers.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

An L.A. artist whose work I want in every room of my home: My decor is very simple and minimal because I like my home to feel like a hermitage.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2023

“Seven Steeples” is an account of hermitage, of Bell and Sigh, a young couple hiding in a dilapidated, wind-struck house on the Irish coast.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2022

Its artefacts and antiquities consultant Nigel Mills suggested the cross could have been connected with the medieval hermitage and chapel at Throckenholt, which is within the Sutton St Edmund parish.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2022

For it was in this pool that the Hermit looked when he wanted to know what was going on in the world outside the green walls of his hermitage.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis