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Cloister

//ˈklɔɪstə// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun

1
A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:; such an arcade in a monastery;
2
a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions) wordnet
3
A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:; such an arcade fitted with representations of the stages of Christ's Passion.
4
residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery) wordnet
5
A place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion.

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6
The monastic life. figuratively

Verb

1
To become a Roman Catholic religious. intransitive
2
seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister wordnet
3
To confine in a cloister, voluntarily or not. transitive
4
surround with a cloister wordnet
5
To deliberately withdraw from worldly things. intransitive

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6
surround with a cloister, as of a garden wordnet
7
To provide with a cloister or cloisters. transitive
"The architect cloistered the college just like the monastery which founded it."
8
To protect or isolate. transitive
"Unique condo cloistered on top of hill."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”), a derivation of the past participle of claudere (“to close”). Doublet of claustrum.

Etymology 2

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