monastery

noun

mon·​as·​tery ˈmä-nə-ˌster-ē How to pronounce monastery (audio)
plural monasteries
: a house for persons under religious vows
especially : an establishment for monks

Examples of monastery in a Sentence

Gregory Mendel worked out his concepts of genetics by doing breeding experiments using pea plants in the monastery's garden.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the 1920s, the monastery was bought by William Randolph Hearst (of the famed publishing family) and dismantled and shipped piece by piece to America. Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2025 In its center lies the ancient inscription written in Greek, a language that was widely used in the region at the time the monastery was constructed, particularly in religious and administrative contexts. Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025 For more than three decades, Iyer, an essayist and a novelist, has spent several weeks a year at a silent retreat in a monastery in Big Sur, California. The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 But early construction revealed a network of tunnels that were part of an ancient monastery complex. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monastery 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English monasterie, from Late Latin monasterium, from Late Greek monastērion, from Greek, hermit's cell, from monazein to live alone, from monos single — more at monk

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monastery was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near monastery

Cite this Entry

“Monastery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monastery. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

monastery

noun
mon·​as·​tery ˈmän-ə-ˌster-ē How to pronounce monastery (audio)
plural monasteries
: a place where a community of monks or nuns live and work
monasterial
ˌmän-ə-ˈstir-ē-əl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on monastery

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