cloister

[ kloi-ster ]
/ ˈklɔɪ stər /

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of cloister

1250–1300; Middle English cloistre < Anglo-French, Old French, blend of cloison partition (see cloisonné) and clostre (< Latin claustrum barrier (Late Latin: enclosed place); see claustrum)

OTHER WORDS FROM cloister

clois·ter·less, adjective clois·ter·like, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for cloister

British Dictionary definitions for cloister

cloister
/ (ˈklɔɪstə) /

noun

a covered walk, usually around a quadrangle in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade on the inside and a wall on the outside
(sometimes plural) a place of religious seclusion, such as a monastery
life in a monastery or convent

verb

(tr) to confine or seclude in or as if in a monastery

Derived forms of cloister

cloister-like, adjective

Word Origin for cloister

C13: from Old French cloistre, from Medieval Latin claustrum monastic cell, from Latin: bolt, barrier, from claudere to close; influenced in form by Old French cloison partition