cloister

[ kloi-ster ]
See synonyms for: cloistercloisteredcloistering on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.

  2. any quiet, secluded place.

  3. life in a monastery or convent.

verb (used with object)
  1. to confine in a monastery or convent.

  2. to confine in retirement; seclude.

  1. to furnish with a cloister or covered walk.

  2. to convert into a monastery or convent.

Origin of cloister

1
1250–1300; Middle English cloistre<Anglo-French, Old French, blend of cloison partition (see cloisonné) and clostre (<Latin claustrum barrier (Late Latin: enclosed place); see claustrum)

Other words for cloister

Other words from cloister

  • clois·ter·less, adjective
  • clois·ter·like, adjective

Words Nearby cloister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cloister in a sentence

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

    The Towns of Roman Britain | James Oliver Bevan

British Dictionary definitions for cloister

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

  1. life in a monastery or convent

verb
  1. (tr) to confine or seclude in or as if in a monastery

Origin of cloister

1
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

Derived forms of cloister

  • cloister-like, adjective

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