anchorite: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

While both are recluses, an 'anchorite' specifically refers to a religious recluse, often one formally committed to a life of solitary prayer and physically confined to a cell (an 'anchorhold'), typically in a Christian context. 'Hermit' is a more general term for anyone living in solitude, not necessarily for religious reasons.

Yes, female anchorites (sometimes specifically called 'anchoresses') were common, particularly in the later Middle Ages. They followed a formal rite of enclosure and lived under a specific spiritual guide or rule.

It is extremely rare in modern everyday language. It is primarily used in historical, academic, or literary contexts to describe past figures or metaphorically to describe someone living in extreme, self-imposed seclusion.

It comes from the Late Latin 'anchorīta', which itself derives from the Greek 'anakhōrētēs', meaning 'one who has retired from the world', from 'anakhōrein' (to withdraw).

A person who lives in seclusion, usually for religious reasons.

Anchorite is usually formal, literary, historical in register.

Anchorite: in British English it is pronounced /ˈæŋkəraɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈæŋkəˌraɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.