hermit

[ hur-mit ]
See synonyms for: hermithermiticalhermitichermitlike on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

  2. any person living in seclusion; recluse.

  1. Zoology. an animal of solitary habits.

  2. Ornithology. any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis, having curved bills and dull-colored rather than iridescent plumage.

  3. a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.

  4. Obsolete. a beadsman.

Origin of hermit

1
1175–1225; Middle English ermite, hermite, heremite<Old French <Late Latin erēmīta<Greek erēmītḗs living in a desert, equivalent to erḗm(ia) desert (derivative of erêmos desolate) + -ītēs-ite1

Other words for hermit

Other words from hermit

  • her·mit·ic, her·mit·i·cal, her·mit·ish, adjective
  • her·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • her·mit·like, adjective
  • her·mit·ry, her·mit·ship, noun
  • un·her·mit·ic, adjective
  • un·her·mit·i·cal, adjective
  • un·her·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hermit

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How to use hermit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hermit

hermit

/ (ˈhɜːmɪt) /


noun
  1. one of the early Christian recluses

  2. any person living in solitude

Origin of hermit

1
C13: from Old French hermite, from Late Latin erēmīta, from Greek erēmitēs living in the desert, from erēmia desert, from erēmos lonely

Derived forms of hermit

  • hermitic or hermitical, adjective
  • hermitically, adverb
  • hermit-like, adjective

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