monastery

UK: /ˈmɒnəstəri/ US: /ˈmɑnəˌstɛri/ ,(mon′ə ster′ē)

Inflections of 'monastery' (n): npl: monasteries

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

mon•as•ter•y /ˈmɑnəˌstɛri/   n. [countable] , pl. -ter•ies. 

1. Religion a place where a community of monks lives.
2. Religion the community itself.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mon•as•ter•y  (mon′ə ster′ē), n., pl. -ter•ies. 

1. Religion a house or place of residence occupied by a community of persons, esp. monks, living in seclusion under religious vows.
2. Religion the community of persons living in such a place.

• Late Greek monasté̄rion monk house, origin, originally hermit's cell, equivalent. to monas-, variant stem of monázein to be alone (see mon-) + -tērion neuter adjective, adjectival suffix denoting place
• Late Latin monastērium
• 1350–1400; Middle English

mon•as•te•ri•al  (mon′ə stēr′ē əl), adj.  Synonyms

• 1. cloister; abbey, priory, friary, lamasery.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

monastery / ˈmɒnəstərɪ -strɪ/ noun ( -teries)

1. the residence of a religious community, esp of monks, living in seclusion from secular society and bound by religious vows

Etymology: 15th Century: from Church Latin monastērium, from Late Greek monastērion, from Greek monázein to live alone, from monos alone

monasterial / ˌmɒnəˈstɪərɪəl/ adjective