Monk

Monk

Noun · /mʌŋk/

Definition

A member of a religious community of men living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, typically following a specific religious rule; the word being used primarily for members of Western Christian religious orders (Benedictine, Cistercian, Dominican, Franciscan) and for members of Buddhist monastic communities.

Origin

From Old English munuc, from Vulgar Latin *monicus, from Late Latin monachus (a monk, one who lives alone), from Greek monakhos (solitary, single — from monos, alone, single). The same monos root gives monastery, monastic, and monarch. The monk being literally the solitary one — the one who lives apart from the world, even when living in community. The word appearing in Old English from at least the 8th century, reflecting the early establishment of Christian monasticism in Britain.