cloister

¹clois·ter

noun \ˈklȯi-stər\

Definition of CLOISTER

1

a : a monastic establishment b : an area within a monastery or convent to which the religious are normally restricted c : monastic life d : a place or state of seclusion

2

: a covered passage on the side of a court usually having one side walled and the other an open arcade or colonnade

Examples of CLOISTER

1. <monks living in a cloister in the country>

Illustration of CLOISTER

Origin of CLOISTER

Middle English cloistre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin claustrum, from Latin, bar, bolt, from claudere to close — more at close

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CLOISTER

Synonyms: abbey, monastery, friary, hermitage, priory

Related Words: house; convent, nunnery; lamasery

[+]more[-]hide

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

Rhymes with CLOISTER

hoister, oyster, roister