monk

¹ American  

[muhngk] / mʌŋk /

noun

1. (in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

   Synonyms:

   brother

2. (in any religion) a man who is a member of a monastic order.

   a Buddhist monk.

3. Printing. a dark area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type.

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Monk ² American  

[muhngk] / mʌŋk /

noun

1. (James) Arthur Art, born 1957, U.S. football player.

2. Thelonious (Sphere), 1917–1982, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.

3. George. Monck, George.

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Monk ¹ British  

/ mʌŋk /

noun

1. Thelonious ( Sphere ) (θəˈləʊnɪəs). 1920–82, US jazz pianist and composer

2. a variant spelling of (George) Monck

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monk ² British  

/ mʌŋk /

noun

1. a male member of a religious community bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

2. (sometimes capital) a fancy pigeon having a bald pate and often large feathered feet

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Related Words

Monk, friar refer to members of special male groups whose lives are devoted to the service of the church, especially in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. A monk is properly a member of a monastery, under a superior; he is bound by a vow of stability, and is a co-owner of the community property of the monastery. Since the Reformation, monk and friar have been used as if they were the same. A friar is, however, strictly speaking, a member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.

Etymology

Origin of monk

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Greek monachós “hermit,” noun use of adjective: “solitary,” equivalent to món(os) “alone” + -achos adjective suffix

Example Sentences

A band of Buddhist monks who have spent four months walking - sometimes barefoot or through the snow - on a 2,000-mile march from Texas to Washington DC is expected to complete their journey on Tuesday.

From BBC

“The dead return because they remember and because they are remembered,” a monk advises Madame Suman.

From Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday, north of Virginia's capital Richmond, Louella Glessner stood on a mound of plowed snow, flowers in hand, hoping the robed monks and their mission might somehow begin to heal America's toxic divisions.

From Barron's

A small band of monks were determined to keep St. Benedict’s Prep open.

From The Wall Street Journal

Most of the monks decamped for safer suburban grounds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abbot
• friar
• priest