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View synonyms for cloister

cloister

[ kloi-ster ]

noun

  1. a covered walk, especially in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade usually opening onto a courtyard.
  2. a courtyard, especially in a religious institution, bordered with such walks.
  3. a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.

    Synonyms: priory, abbey

  4. any quiet, secluded place.
  5. life in a monastery or convent.


verb (used with object)

  1. to confine in a monastery or convent.
  2. to confine in retirement; seclude.
  3. to furnish with a cloister or covered walk.
  4. to convert into a monastery or convent.

cloister

/ ˈklɔɪstə /

noun

  1. a covered walk, usually around a quadrangle in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade on the inside and a wall on the outside
  2. sometimes plural a place of religious seclusion, such as a monastery
  3. life in a monastery or convent
“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


verb

  1. tr to confine or seclude in or as if in a monastery
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈcloister-ˌlike, adjective
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Other Words From

  • cloister·less adjective
  • cloister·like adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cloister1

1250–1300; Middle English cloistre < Anglo-French, Old French, blend of cloison partition ( cloisonné ) and clostre (< Latin claustrum barrier ( Late Latin: enclosed place); claustrum )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cloister1

C13: from Old French cloistre, from Medieval Latin claustrum monastic cell, from Latin: bolt, barrier, from claudere to close; influenced in form by Old French cloison partition
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Example Sentences

Above the flowery cloisters, ferocious-looking gargoyles ignored the children noisily chasing each other and stretched toward the indigo late-summer sky, praying for rain.

The idea of the silence and solitude of the cloister inspired the highly-imaginative girl with a blaze of enthusiasm.

Yes, I knew he would not be in, and so we left him lying down on the bench in the cloister till dinner was over.

I am not sure whether a cloister or a prison, commanding a fine view, be preferable to one without.

You will hear of him; he does not live in a cloister; he is always doing something for somebody.

In the Cloister garden of the Cathedral are preserved a tesselated pavement and the sepulchral slab of a Roman warrior.

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cloisonnécloistered