cloister

The story

1. Latin · derived fromclaustrum“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”
2. Medieval Latin · derived fromclaustrum“portion of monastery closed off to laity”
3. Old English · derived fromclauster
4. Old French · derived fromcloistre
5. Middle English · inherited fromcloistre
6. English todaycloister

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.

Words from the same roots