Vocabulary in context
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Cloister
A convent or monastery; a secluded, enclosed area within a religious complex.
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Imagine This
When the oyster becomes tired of his surroundings, it can simply close its shell to isolate itself from the outside world.
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Sounds Like
CLOI-ster
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Looks Like
closet (similar letters)
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Remember This
As a noun, cloister refers to the religious enclosure; as a verb, to cloister someone means to seclude them. The word comes from Latin claustrum via Old French cloistre.
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Other Forms
cloisteredadjective
cloisteringverb
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Connect With
monastery, convent, abbey, seclusion, retreat, monastic life, enclosure
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Note
The noun often refers to a covered walkway or courtyard in a monastery or convent; not to be confused with 'closet' though they share roots. The related adjective is cloistered.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The monks prayed in the quiet cloister after the service.
- Architects restored the cloister to preserve the monastery's historic charm.
Synonyms
monasteryconventabbeyretreatseclusion
Antonyms
exposureopennessworldliness
Etymology
From Old French cloistre, from Latin claustrum meaning 'a shut place' or barrier; related to claudere 'to close'.
Mnemonic
CLOISTER sounds like 'closet' with a twist—the place you go to close yourself off from the world.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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