cloister

1 of 2

noun

clois·​ter ˈklȯi-stər How to pronounce cloister (audio)
1
a
: a monastic establishment
b
: an area within a monastery or convent to which the religious are normally restricted
c
: monastic life
young men and women choosing the cloister as a way of life
d
: a place or state of seclusion
… the Internet broke out of its academic cloister and started cavorting in the mainstream.Paul McFedries
2
: a covered passage on the side of a court usually having one side walled and the other an open arcade or colonnade
The courtyard is surrounded with a cloister.

Illustration of cloister

Illustration of cloister
  • cloister 2

cloister

2 of 2

verb

cloistered; cloistering ˈklȯi-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce cloister (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister
a scientist who cloisters herself in a laboratory
policy makers are cloistered for the weekend, trying to stave off a default that they fear could trigger an international financial panicArt Pine
2
: to surround with a cloister
cloistered gardens

Did you know?

Cloister first entered the English language as a noun in the 13th century; it referred then (as it still does) to a convent or monastery. More than three centuries later, English speakers began using the verb cloister to mean "to seclude in or as if in a cloister." Today, the noun can also refer to the monastic life or to a covered and usually arched passage along or around a court. You may also encounter cloistered with the meaning "surrounded with a covered passage," as in "cloistered gardens." Cloister ultimately derives from the Latin verb claudere, meaning "to close." Other words that can be traced back to the prolific claudere include close, conclude, exclude, include, preclude, seclude, and recluse.

Examples of cloister in a Sentence

Noun monks living in a cloister in the country
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The cloister, which is open to the sky, is the center of the property in every way, with fire pits, music, lounge chairs and tables. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 This structure also had a cloister and peripheral buildings to the south. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 In the central open-air cloister, the sleek seating is paired with large-scale contemporary sculptures by renowned Portuguese artists Pedro Calapez and Pedro Cabrita Reis. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 There’s a 12th-century Augustinian cloister and impeccable gardens modeled after Versailles. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2024 Boards have also been found carved into cloister seats at English cathedrals. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2023 There were moving speeches, and opera singers who appeared in and out of the tiny windows above the cloister and in the gardens, but the cake-cutting was the highlight of the night. Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2023 Today, visitors come to Museo di San Marco for the frescoes and panels by Fra Angelico, as well as its courtyard, cloisters, palazzo, and garden. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2023 The royal couple will also meet members of the local community in the cloisters next to the 12th-century cathedral. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
Verb
But the academy was too cloistered to recognize those sensuous wisps of smoke and steam wrapped around this Hong Kong love story and shut the film out entirely: Nothing for Wong, the sumptuous cinematography or Maggie Cheung’s sensitive performance. The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Read: Fall’s vaccine routine didn’t have to be this hard Dropping the current COVID-isolation guideline—which has, since the end of 2021, recommended that people cloister for five days—may likewise be dangerous. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 Biden’s campaign aides are striving to produce more of those viral moments with their increasing ambitious schedule and combat the notion the president is cloistered or unable to perform his job. Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg.com, 23 Jan. 2024 That suggestion might seem ironic or even dubious from the founder of an institution that facilitates world leaders cloistering themselves away in Davos. Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 26 Jan. 2024 So far, almost none of the people in the president’s inner circle have left for campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., prompting some donors and strategists to worry that too much of Mr. Biden’s team remains cloistered inside the White House. Katie Rogers, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2024 The Zenana Mahal, or Palace of the Queens, was where female members of the royal family would live, cloistered away from the rest of the world. Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023 Much later, the U.S. imported many aspects of the physically and socially cloistered British university system. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 Subsequent experiments with light-and-space-bending geometric resin columns brought him out of the private studio and cloistered art gallery and into the everyday world. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloister.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English cloistre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin claustrum, from Latin, bar, bolt, from claudere to close — more at close entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cloister was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near cloister

Cite this Entry

“Cloister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloister. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cloister

1 of 2 noun
clois·​ter ˈklȯi-stər How to pronounce cloister (audio)
1
b
: monastic life
2
: a covered usually arched passage along or around a court

cloister

2 of 2 verb
1
: to shut away from the world in or as if in a cloister
leads a cloistered life
2
: to surround with a cloister
cloistered gardens

More from Merriam-Webster on cloister

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