monk
/mʌŋk/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
monachos — solitary, single
Overview
Meaning Now
- A member of a religious community living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, typically in a monastery.
- A person who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially one belonging to a monastic order.
Literal older meaning
solitary person
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → Old English → English
Earliest form
munuc
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The term originally reflected the eremitic (hermit) tradition of early Christian asceticism, where individuals lived in isolation, but evolved to encompass those living in organized communal monastic orders.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
monachos
“solitary, living alone”
Derived from monos (alone).
- Ecclesiastical Latin
monachus
“monk”
Adopted into Western Christianity.
- Old English
munuc
“monk”
Influenced by Latin monachus.
- Middle English
monk
“monk”
Connections
Word parts
monk
root
solitary
Related across languages
German
Mönch
monk
French
moine
monk
Dutch
monnik
monk
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Related to monk
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.