Meanings
plural Cistercians
- A member of a monastic order which follows the Benedictine rule and emphasizes silent contemplative prayer.
Synonyms: white monk
comparative more Cistercian · superlative most Cistercian
- Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Cistercian Order and its members.
At some unknown point during the twelfth century the problem of waking up at night at the right time to ring the bell was solved, because, in a new version of the Rule for Cistercian monks, it says that the sacrist 'roused by the sound of the clock shall ring the church bell'.
1978, James Burke, Connections, Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, pages 128-129
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA member of a monastic order which follows the Benedictine rule and emphasizes silent contemplative prayer.
More synonyms by meaning
nounmember of an order of monks noted for austerity and a vow of silence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- LatinCistercium“Cîteaux”
- Frenchcistercien
- EnglishCistercian
From French cistercien, from Latin Cistercium (“Cîteaux”), after the place where the order was founded.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan cistercenc
- cistercencmember of the Cistercian Order
Chinese Mandarin 熙篤會修士 /熙笃会修士
- 熙篤會修士 /熙笃会修士 (Xīdǔhuì xiūshì)member of the Cistercian Order
Czech cisterciák
- cisterciákmember of the Cistercian Order
Dutch cisterciënzer
- cisterciënzermember of the Cistercian Order
Esperanto cisterciano
- cistercianomember of the Cistercian Order
French cistercien
- cistercienmember of the Cistercian Order
German Zisterzienser, Zisterzienserin
- Zisterziensermember of the Cistercian Order
- Zisterzienserinmember of the Cistercian Order
Greek Κιστερκιανός
- Κιστερκιανός (Kisterkianós)member of the Cistercian Order
Hungarian ciszterci szerzetes
- ciszterci szerzetesmember of the Cistercian Order
Irish Cistéirseach
- Cistéirseachmember of the Cistercian Order
Italian cistercense
- cistercensemember of the Cistercian Order
Korean 시토회 수도사
- 시토회 수도사 (sitohoe sudosa)member of the Cistercian Order
Latin Cisterciensis
- Cisterciensismember of the Cistercian Order
Polish cysters
- cystersmember of the Cistercian Order
Portuguese cisterciense
- cisterciensemember of the Cistercian Order
Romanian cistercian
- cistercianmember of the Cistercian Order
Russian цистерциа́нец
- цистерциа́нец (cisterciánec)member of the Cistercian Order
Slovak cistercián
- cisterciánmember of the Cistercian Order
Spanish cisterciense
- cisterciensemember of the Cistercian Order
Welsh Sistersaidd
- Sistersaiddmember of the Cistercian Order
Cite this entry
Cistercian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cistercian
“Cistercian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cistercian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cistercian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cistercian.
Source: Cistercian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.