anchorite
noun
Did you know?
The term "anchor" was being used for religious hermits about 450 years before "anchorite" came into common use in our language. The reclusive "anchor" and "anchorite" are both derived from the Late Latin anachoreta, which, in turn, can be traced to the Greek anachōrein, meaning "to withdraw." Are they etymologically related to the kind of anchors you find on ships? Not exactly. The Latin root of sea-going "anchor," "anchora," probably influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the words that led to "anchorite" and the reclusive "anchor," but it is not a direct ancestor.
Examples of anchorite in a Sentence
Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023
Why were anchorites such as Simeon Stylites — who lived atop a pillar — regularly consulted on all sorts of practical problems?
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 9 June 2023
Perhaps our lives now more closely resemble ancient anchorites, religious recluses who lived alone in rooms adjoining churches, said Cathleen Kaveny, a Catholic theologian at Boston College.
—Daniel Burke, CNN, 5 Apr. 2020
In other instances, anchorites became wise people to visit and from whom to seek council.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2019
But there are certainly similarities between the anchorite and the handmaid.
—Annie Sutherland, Quartzy, 13 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Anchorite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anchorite. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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anchorite
noun
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