Cloister
[klȯi-stər]
Part of speech: verb
Origin: Middle English, 14th century
1.
to seclude from the world
2.
to surround with the intention of secluding
Examples of Cloister in a sentence
"The novelist cloistered himself in his office all week, desperate to meet his deadline."
"This spring I hope to cloister my garden with a stone wall to make it more private and cozy."
About Cloister
In the Middle ages, sailors that were arriving from locations that had been hit with the Black Plague would be cloistered in their ships and prevented from entering port for 40 days. This practice resulted in the first use of the Italian word 'quaranta' in relation to disease, a word that evolved in English to 'quarantine.'
Did you Know?
The word "cloister" originally described a convent, monastery, or other religious location where dedicated religious servants hid themselves from the world.
