monastery
[ mon-uh-ster-ee ]
/ ˈmɒn əˌstɛr i /
noun, plural mon·as·ter·ies.
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.
Nearby words
monarticular, monas, monash, monaster, monasterial, monastery, monastic, monasticism, monastir, monastral, monathetosis
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
Related formsmon·as·te·ri·al [mon-uh-steer-ee-uhl] /ˌmɒn əˈstɪər i əl/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for monastery
British Dictionary definitions for monastery
monastery
/ (ˈmɒnəstərɪ, -strɪ) /
noun plural -teries
the residence of a religious community, esp of monks, living in seclusion from secular society and bound by religious vows
Derived Formsmonasterial (ˌmɒnəˈstɪərɪəl), adjective
Word Origin for monastery
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
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Word Origin and History for monastery
monastery
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper