Laura
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A number of hermitages or cells in the same neighborhood occupied by anchorites who were under the same superior historical
"The solitaries of the Thebaid found that they became selfish wild beasts, or went mad, if they remained alone; and they formed themselves into lauras, 'lanes' of huts, convents, under a common abbot or father."
- 2 A cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the centre. historical
"There were the cenobia, or monasteries proper, where the life was according to the lines laid down by St Basil; and there were the lauras, wherein a semi-eremitical life was followed, the monks living in separate huts within the enclosure."
- 1 A female given name from Latin.
"Now is he for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in; Laura to his lady was but a kitchen-wench; marry, she had a better love to be-rime her;"
Example
More examples"Laura is very particular about her clothes."
Etymology
From Late Latin saint's name Laura, from the feminine form of laurus (“laurel tree”). A post-classical name made famous by Petrarch's sonnets to Laura in the fourteenth century.
From the Late Latin laura, from Ancient Greek λαύρα (laúra, “lane, path”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.