definitions

stylite

[ stahy-lahyt ]
/ ˈstaɪ laɪt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stylite ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Ecclesiastical History.

one of a class of solitary ascetics who lived on the top of high pillars or columns.

Nearby words

stylishly, stylist, stylistic, stylistician, stylistics, stylite, stylites, stylitic, stylize, stylized, stylo-

Origin of stylite

1630–40; < Late Greek stȳlī́tēs, equivalent to stŷl(os) pillar + -itēs -ite1

Related forms

sty·lit·ic [stahy-lit-ik] /staɪˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stylite

  • Simeon the Stylite comes down from his pillar-top, and chaffers in the market-place with common folks.

    Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 3 (of 3)|Theodore Parker

  • He stopped, some paces from the column, and began to examine the stylite, wiping his face meanwhile with the skirt of his toga.

    Thais|Anatole France

  • This old monk was St. Luke the Stylite, appearing in vision.

    Curiosities of Olden Times|S. Baring-Gould

  • A Stylite might have contented himself there; Gilliatt, more luxurious in his requirements, wanted something more commodious.

    Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for stylite

stylite

/ (ˈstaɪlaɪt) /

noun

Christianity one of a class of recluses who in ancient times lived on the top of high pillars

Derived Forms

stylitic (staɪˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for stylite

C17: from Late Greek stulitēs, from Greek stulos a pillar
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