cloister
Other forms: cloisters; cloistered; cloistering
A cloister is an enclosed garden, usually surrounded by covered walkways. Because such spaces are often featured in buildings that house religious orders, cloister can be used to mean "monastery" or "convent."
In enclosed religious orders, monks and nuns withdraw from society to devote themselves to prayer and contemplation. In order to provide them with access to the outdoors while protecting them from contact with the secular world, the cloister became a common element of convents and monasteries. When used as a verb, cloister generally loses its religious connotation and means "to seclude" or "isolate." Don't get a lunch detention or you'll be cloistered in the classroom while all the other kids are running around outside.
-
residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)synonyms: religious residencetypes:conventa religious residence especially for nunsmonasterythe residence of a religious communityprioryreligious residence in a monastery governed by a prior or a convent governed by a prioressabbeya monastery ruled by an abbotabbeya convent ruled by an abbesscharterhousea Carthusian monasteryfriarya monastery of friarslamaserya monastery for lamasnunnerythe convent of a community of nunstype of:residencethe official house or establishment of an important person (as a sovereign or president)
-
seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister
-
a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions)
-
surround with a cloister
-
surround with a cloister, as of a garden
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing cloister
In this comedy, two Athenian couples and a troupe of actors become unwitting pawns in a squabble between a fairy king and queen.
Open your mind and practice this list of words derived from the Latin roots clud and clus, meaning "shut, enclose, or confine."