cloister

English

WOTD – 15 September 2007

Alternative forms

• cloistre (obsolete)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈklɔɪstə/
• (US) enPR: kloiʹstər, IPA^(key): /ˈklɔɪstɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪstə(ɹ)

Noun

cloister (plural cloisters)

1. A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that face a quadrangle; especially:
   1. such an arcade in a monastery;
   2. such an arcade fitted with representations of the stages of Christ's Passion.
2. A place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion.
3. (figuratively) The monastic life.

Derived terms

• cloisterer
• cloisterless
• cloisterlike
• cloister vault
• cloistral
• cloistress
• encloister

Related terms

• claustrum
• claustral
• claustrophobia

Translations

covered walk with an open colonnade

• Bulgarian: покри́та арка́да f (pokríta arkáda)
• Catalan: claustre (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 迴廊／回廊 (zh) (huíláng)

• Dutch: kloostergang (nl), kruisgang (nl)
• Esperanto: klostro
• French: cloître (fr) m
• Galician: claustro (gl) m, caustra f (archaic)
• German: Kreuzgang (de) m

  Alemannic German: Chrüüzgang m

• Greek: περιστύλιο (el) n (peristýlio)
• Hungarian: kerengő (hu)
• Italian: chiostro (it)
• Japanese: 回廊 (ja) (かいろう, kairō)
• Polish: krużganek (pl) m
• Portuguese: claustro (pt) m
• Romanian: claustru n, arcadă (ro) f
• Russian: клуа́тр (ru) m (kluátr), кры́тая галере́я f (krýtaja galeréja), кры́тая арка́да f (krýtaja arkáda)
• Serbo-Croatian: клаустар m, klaustar (sh) m
• Spanish: claustro (es) m
• Swedish: korsgång (sv)
• Turkish: kemer avlu
• Ukrainian: клуа́тр (uk) f (kluátr)

place devoted to religious seclusion

• Bulgarian: манасти́р (bg) m (manastír)
• Catalan: clausura f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 修道院 (zh) (xiūdàoyuàn)

• Czech: klášter (cs) m
• Danish: kloster (da) c
• Dutch: klooster (nl) n
• Esperanto: klostro, monaĥejo
• Faroese: kleystur n
• Finnish: luostari (fi)
• French: cloître (fr) m
• Georgian: მონასტერი (monasṭeri)
• German: Kloster (de) n

  Alemannic German: Chlooschter n

• Greek: μοναστήρι (el) n (monastíri)
• Hungarian: kolostor (hu), zárda (hu)
• Japanese: 修道院 (ja) (しゅうどういん, shūdōin)
• Polish: klasztor (pl) m
• Portuguese: claustro (pt)
• Romanian: mănăstire (ro) f
• Russian: монасты́рь (ru) m (monastýrʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: манастир m, самостан m

  Roman: manastir (sh) m, samostan (sh) m

• Spanish: claustro (es) m
• Swedish: kloster (sv)
• Turkish: halvethane (tr), dergâh (tr), tekke (tr), manastır (tr)

monastic life

• Catalan: clausura f
• Dutch: kloosterleven (nl) n
• French: (la vie des) cloîtres
• German: Klosterleben n, Klausur (de) f
• Polish: klauzura (pl) f
• Portuguese: claustro (pt) m, clausura (pt) f
• Romanian: călugărie (ro) f, sihăstrie (ro) f
• Serbo-Croatian: monaštvo (sh), klauzura (sh)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} chiostro (it) m
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 회랑 (hoerang)

Verb

cloister (third-person singular simple present cloisters, present participle cloistering, simple past and past participle cloistered)

1. (intransitive) To become a Roman Catholic religious.
2. (transitive) To confine in a cloister, voluntarily or not.
3. (intransitive) To deliberately withdraw from worldly things.
4. (transitive) To provide with a cloister or cloisters.

   The architect cloistered the college just like the monastery which founded it.

5. (transitive) To protect or isolate.
   • 1983 April 9, “Beacon Hill: Mt Vernon St. (classified advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, page 14:

     Unique condo cloistered on top of hill.

Synonyms

• (become a Catholic religious) enter religion

Derived terms

• cloistered
• uncloister

Related terms

• claustration

Translations

become a Catholic religious

• Dutch: in het klooster treden
• Esperanto: monaĥiĝi, monaĥiniĝi
• Romanian: claustra (ro)

See also

• abbey
• hermitage
• monastery
• nunnery

Anagrams

• citolers, cloistre, coistrel, cortiles, costlier, creolist, sterolic

Middle English

Noun

cloister

1. Alternative form of cloistre