monastery
[mon-uh-ster-ee]
- a house or place of residence occupied by a community of persons, especially monks, living in seclusion under religious vows.
- the community of persons living in such a place.
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Origin of monastery
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin monastērium < Late Greek monastḗrion monk house, orig. hermit's cell, equivalent to monas-, variant stem of monázein to be alone (see mon-) + -tērion neuter adj. suffix denoting place
Synonyms
See more synonyms for monastery on Thesaurus.com1. cloister; abbey, priory, friary, lamasery.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for monastery
Contemporary Examples
A Spaniard by birth, Victor Serna left home shy of his 14th birthday and entered the monastery to become a Marist brother.
In 2008, his monastery was in desperate need of funds and Vreeland decided to lend a hand with his first photography exhibition.
On Sunday Than Dar held the last of the funeral rites for her husband with a food donation ceremony at a monastery.
To many at the time—clerics in particular—attacking a monastery or church would have seemed irrational.
These days the monastery and motels house people who had to leave Sloviansk.
Ukraine Families Flee Into the Forest to Escape Brutal Fighting in SlovianskYusuf Sayman
June 10, 2014
Historical Examples
There came into his head the idea of enriching the monastery.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
Thus the monastery would be enriched and all the monks get fat.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
Monks also erected crosses to mark the boundaries of the property of their monastery.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
The infirmary seems to have been the most cheerful place in the monastery.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
The author was evidently amazed at all the sights which he witnessed in the monastery.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
monastery
- the residence of a religious community, esp of monks, living in seclusion from secular society and bound by religious vows
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Word Origin
C15: from Church Latin monastērium, from Late Greek monastērion, from Greek monázein to live alone, from monos alone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for monastery
n.
c.1400, from Old French monastere "monastery" (14c.) and directly from Late Latin monasterium, from Ecclesiastical Greek monasterion "a monastery," from monazein "to live alone," from monos "alone" (see mono-). With suffix -terion "place for (doing something)." Originally applied to houses of any religious order, male or female.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper