monk

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈməŋk 

: a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery

also : friar

monk

2 of 2

noun (2)

: monkey

Examples of monk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The choice for social minority—the choice of the artist as well as of the monk—was not, or not only, a choice for isolation. —Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024

Despite growing global demand, especially among bartenders, the monks have chosen to cap output to maintain the balance of their religious duties. —Rachel King, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Beatrice Radden Keefe Happy Island of Psalters and Cucumbers Thirteen hundred years ago, the monks on the German lake island of Reichenau tended a rich meadow of wall painting, manuscript making, and Latin poetry. —The New York Review of Books, 27 Sep. 2024

The monks planted vines soon afterwards and in the 15th century King Louis XI declared drinking the wine was akin to imbibing drops of gold. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Late Greek monachos, from Greek, adjective, single, from monos single, alone

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing monk

• monk parakeet
• monk's cloth
• monk seal

Kids Definition

monk

noun

ˈməŋk

: a member of a religious community made up of men who agree to give up worldly life, remain poor and unmarried, and obey all laws of their community

monkish

ˈməŋ-kish

adjective

Biographical Definition

Monk

biographical name

ˈməŋk 

Thelonious Sphere 1920–1982 American jazz musician