monastic

[ muh-nas-tik ]

/ məˈnæs tɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR monastic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also mo·nas·ti·cal.

of or relating to monasteries: a monastic library.

of, relating to, or characteristic of monks or nuns, their manner of life, or their religious obligations: monastic vows.

of, relating to, or characteristic of a secluded, dedicated, or austere manner of living.

noun

a member of a monastic community or order, especially a monk.

Nearby words

Origin of monastic

1400–50; late Middle English monastik < Late Latin monasticus < Late Greek monastikós, equivalent to monas- (verbid stem of monázein to be alone; see mon-) + -ikos -ic, with -t- by analogy with derivatives of agent nouns in -tēs (cf. athlete, athletic)

Related forms

mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·mo·nas·tic, adjectivenon·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbpseu·do·mo·nas·tic, adjective

pseu·do·mo·nas·ti·cal, adjectivepseu·do·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·mo·nas·tic, adjectiveun·mo·nas·tic, adjectiveun·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monastic

Christianity spawned the monastic movement, originally in Egypt, that insisted upon peace, self-reliance, education and charity.
Karen Armstrong’s New Rule: Religion Isn’t Responsible for Violence|Patricia Pearson|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But his period of monastic seclusion officially comes to an end on Thursday.
Brennan Emerges From The Shadows|Daniel Klaidman|August 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A Youtube video of some jet-setting Buddhist monks has Thailand scrambling to crack down on materialism in the monastic ranks.
Jet-Setting Video of Thai Buddhist Monks Causes Scandal|Erin Cunningham|June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This should be manifestly clear this morning even to the most monastic heirs of David Broder.
Mr. Smith's Insane Cousins Go to Washington|Michael Tomasky|December 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.
Prophet Muhammad’s Rules of War|Qasim Rashid|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Monastic chapters in episcopal churches were almost unknown out of England.
William the Conqueror|Edward Augustus Freeman
During this same century the monastic life made its appearance in Gaul.
English Monastic Life|Abbot Gasquet
Passing over the monastic claims advanced for some ruins in the southern mountains, those of Plahosan cannot be ignored.
Monumental Java|J. F. Scheltema
He is reconciled at last to his son (whom for a long time he refused to see); although not, I believe, to his monastic profession.
Chronicles of the Schonberg-Cotta Family|Elizabeth Rundle Charles
Appointed Abbot of Glastonbury in 945, he began to reform the monastic life by restoring the early purity and simplicity.
The Rise of the Mediaeval Church|Alexander Clarence Flick

British Dictionary definitions for monastic

monastic

/ (məˈnæstɪk) /

adjective monastical

of or relating to monasteries or monks, nuns, etc

resembling this sort of life; reclusive

noun

a person who is committed to this way of life, esp a monk

Derived Formsmonastically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for monastic

monastic

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French monastique "monkish, monastic," or directly from Late Latin monasticus, from Ecclesiastical Greek monastikos "solitary, pertaining to a monk," from Greek monazein "to live alone" (see monastery). Related: Monastical (c.1400).

monastic

adjective Also mo·nas·ti·cal.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of monastic

Examples from the Web for monastic

monastic

adjective monastical

noun

monastic