hermit
[ hur-mit ]
/ ˈhɜr mɪt /
noun
a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
any person living in seclusion; recluse.
Zoology.
an animal of solitary habits.
Ornithology.
any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis, having curved bills and dull-colored rather than iridescent plumage.
a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.
Obsolete.
a beadsman.
Origin of hermit
1175–1225; Middle English
ermite, hermite, heremite < Old French < Late Latin
erēmīta < Greek
erēmītḗs living in a desert, equivalent to
erḗm(ia) desert (derivative of
erêmos desolate) +
-ītēs
-ite1
SYNONYMS FOR hermit
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British Dictionary definitions for hermit
hermit
/ (ˈhɜːmɪt) /
noun
one of the early Christian recluses
any person living in solitude
Derived forms of hermit
hermitic or hermitical, adjective hermitically, adverb hermit-like, adjectiveWord Origin for hermit
C13: from Old French
hermite, from Late Latin
erēmīta, from Greek
erēmitēs living in the desert, from
erēmia desert, from
erēmos lonely