Etymology

anchoress

A1N1C3H4O1R1E1S1S1

Today it means: A female anchorite. A woman who chooses to withdraw from the world to live a solitary life of prayer and contemplation. Full definition →

Middle English ankres
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anchoress · noun1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromankres
  2. English todayanchoress

From Middle English ankres, ankerisse, anchoryse; equivalent to anchor + -ess.

anchoress · noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enk-der.?
  2. Ancient Greekᾰ̓́γκῡρᾰ (ắnkūră)bor.?
  3. Latinancora
  4. Proto-Germanic*ankurô
  5. Proto-West Germanic*ankurō
  6. Old Englishancor
  7. Middle Englishanker
  8. Englishanchor
  9. English todayanchoress

From anchor + -ess.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.