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
- <monks living in a cloister in the country>
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
Other Architecture Terms
2cloister
transitive verbclois·teredclois·ter·ing \-st(ə-)riŋ\
Definition of CLOISTER
1
: to seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister <a scientist who cloisters herself in a laboratory>
2
: to surround with a cloister <cloistered gardens>
First Known Use of CLOISTER
1581
cloister
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Four-sided enclosure surrounded by covered walkways and usually attached to a monastic or cathedral church; also, the walkways themselves. The earliest cloisters were open arcades, usually with sloping wooden roofs. This form was generally superseded in England by a range of windows lighting a vaulted ambulatory (aisle). In southern climates, the open-arcaded cloister remained standard. An especially fine example is Donato Bramante's two-story open arcade at Santa Maria della Pace, Rome (1500–4).
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