monastery

noun

mon·​as·​tery ˈmä-nə-ˌster-ē How to pronounce monastery (audio)
plural monasteries
: a house for persons under religious vows
especially : an establishment for monks

Examples of monastery in a Sentence

Gregory Mendel worked out his concepts of genetics by doing breeding experiments using pea plants in the monastery's garden.
Recent Examples on the Web Local media reported the monastery in Buffalo was located near a busy intersection and park. Emma Colton, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2024 The Palestinian citizen of northern Israel — a neuroscientist and a folk singer renowned in the Arab world — was starting a silent retreat at a Christian monastery in Jerusalem when word of the Hamas massacre began to spread. Judith Sudilovsky, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024 Indeed beautiful and inspiring, Subiaco Academy and monastery stands as a testament to the faith and hard work of the German population living in the area. Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024 But most of the resplendent old churches, pagodas, and monasteries were now derelict shells or razed to the ground—the Khmer Rouge had demolished many places of worship. Chantha Nguon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 Today, a small museum and restored monastery buildings stand adjacent to the abbey ruins, which can be visited without a reservation. Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024 It was partially destroyed again in 1079 as Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV (who would later become Holy Roman Emperor) engaged in a bitter conflict over which of them had the power to install bishops, monastery abbots, and even the pope himself (known as the Investiture Controversy). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Jan. 2024 The franchise has filmed at more than 100 locations globally over the last 60 years, ranging from monasteries in Greece, palaces in India, and even ancient Egyptian temples. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2023 Last summer, tourist officials posted sad photos of the 60,000 people who were stuck waiting to climb up to the monastery in mid May. Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monastery.' 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

Middle English monasterie, from Late Latin monasterium, from Late Greek monastērion, from Greek, hermit's cell, from monazein to live alone, from monos single — more at monk

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monastery was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near monastery

Cite this Entry

“Monastery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monastery. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monastery

noun
mon·​as·​tery ˈmän-ə-ˌster-ē How to pronounce monastery (audio)
plural monasteries
: a place where a community of monks or nuns live and work
monasterial
ˌmän-ə-ˈstir-ē-əl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on monastery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!