skete: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

No. A skete is a smaller, less formal type of monastic community, often more eremitical (focused on solitary prayer) than a cenobitic monastery, which has a strict communal rule. A skete is a type of monastic settlement, but not all monasteries are sketes.

The most famous sketes are on Mount Athos in Greece (an autonomous monastic state). They are also found in other traditionally Orthodox regions like Russia, Romania, and Serbia, often in remote, forested, or mountainous areas.

Yes, but it's a literary and niche usage. It can describe any small, secluded, and inward-looking community, e.g., 'The research team worked in a kind of academic skete, isolated from university politics.' The connotation can be positive (focus, purity) or negative (insularity).

Both 'sketes' and the unchanged 'skete' (as a collective noun) are used. 'Sketes' is more common when referring to multiple distinct communities.

A small monastic community of Eastern Orthodox monks, typically consisting of a few individual dwellings (cells or huts) clustered around a central church, more secluded and less formally organized than a monastery.

Skete is usually specialized / literary / historical / religious in register.

Skete: in British English it is pronounced /ˈskiːti/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈskiti/ or /skiːt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.