Meanings
present singular third person cloisters · participle present cloistering · participle past cloistered · past cloistered · alternative obsolete cloistre
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo become a Roman Catholic religious.
More synonyms by meaning
nounresidence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinclaustrum“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”
- Medieval Latinclaustrum“portion of monastery closed off to laity”
- Old Englishclauster
- Old Frenchcloistre
- Middle Englishcloistre
- Englishcloister
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian манасти́р, покри́та арка́да
- манасти́р (manastír)place devoted to religious seclusion
- покри́та арка́да (pokríta arkáda)covered walk with an open colonnade
Catalan clausura, clausura
- clausuraplace devoted to religious seclusion
- clausuramonastic life
- claustrecovered walk with an open colonnade
Chinese Mandarin 修道院, 迴廊 /回廊
- 修道院 (xiūdàoyuàn)place devoted to religious seclusion
- 迴廊 /回廊 (huíláng)covered walk with an open colonnade
Czech klášter
- klášterplace devoted to religious seclusion
Danish kloster
- klosterplace devoted to religious seclusion
Dutch klooster, kloosterleven
- kloosterplace devoted to religious seclusion
- kloosterlevenmonastic life
- kloostergangcovered walk with an open colonnade
- kruisgangcovered walk with an open colonnade
- in het klooster tredenbecome a Catholic religious
Esperanto klostro, monaĥejo
- klostroplace devoted to religious seclusion
- monaĥejoplace devoted to religious seclusion
- klostrocovered walk with an open colonnade
- monaĥiĝibecome a Catholic religious
- monaĥiniĝibecome a Catholic religious
Finnish luostari, luostarielämä
- luostariplace devoted to religious seclusion
- luostarielämämonastic life
- ristikäytäväcovered walk with an open colonnade
French cloître, (la vie des) cloîtres
- cloîtreplace devoted to religious seclusion
- (la vie des) cloîtresmonastic life
- cloîtrecovered walk with an open colonnade
German Kloster, Klosterleben
- Klosterplace devoted to religious seclusion
- Klosterlebenmonastic life
- Klausurmonastic life
- Kreuzgangcovered walk with an open colonnade
Greek μοναστήρι, περιστύλιο
- μοναστήρι (monastíri)place devoted to religious seclusion
- περιστύλιο (peristýlio)covered walk with an open colonnade
Hungarian kolostor, zárda
- kolostorplace devoted to religious seclusion
- zárdaplace devoted to religious seclusion
- kerengőcovered walk with an open colonnade
Italian chiostro
- chiostrocovered walk with an open colonnade
Japanese 修道院, 回廊
- 修道院 (shūdōin)place devoted to religious seclusion
- 回廊 (kairō)covered walk with an open colonnade
Persian صومعه, مانستان
- صومعه (some'e)place devoted to religious seclusion
- مانستان (mānestān)place devoted to religious seclusion
- صومعگی (some'egi)monastic life
Polish klasztor, klauzura
- klasztorplace devoted to religious seclusion
- klauzuramonastic life
- krużganekcovered walk with an open colonnade
- stać się religijnym katolikiembecome a Catholic religious
Portuguese claustro, claustro
- claustroplace devoted to religious seclusion
- claustromonastic life
- clausuramonastic life
- claustrocovered walk with an open colonnade
Romanian mănăstire, călugărie
- mănăstireplace devoted to religious seclusion
- călugăriemonastic life
- sihăstriemonastic life
- claustrucovered walk with an open colonnade
- arcadăcovered walk with an open colonnade
- claustrabecome a Catholic religious
Russian монасты́рь, клуа́тр
- монасты́рь (monastýrʹ)place devoted to religious seclusion
- клуа́тр (kluátr)covered walk with an open colonnade
- кры́тая галере́я (krýtaja galeréja)covered walk with an open colonnade
- кры́тая арка́да (krýtaja arkáda)covered walk with an open colonnade
Spanish claustro, claustro
- claustroplace devoted to religious seclusion
- claustrocovered walk with an open colonnade
- enclaustrar(''transitive'')
- enceldar(''transitive'')
Swedish kloster, korsgång
- klosterplace devoted to religious seclusion
- korsgångcovered walk with an open colonnade
Turkish halvethane, dergâh
- halvethaneplace devoted to religious seclusion
- dergâhplace devoted to religious seclusion
- tekkeplace devoted to religious seclusion
- manastırplace devoted to religious seclusion
- kemer avlucovered walk with an open colonnade
Ukrainian клуа́тр
- клуа́тр (kluátr)covered walk with an open colonnade
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cloister
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
cloister. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloister
“cloister.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloister. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cloister,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloister.
Source: cloister on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.