Cenobite
/ˈsiːnəbaɪt/noun
A monk or nun who lives in a religious community rather than in solitary retreat.
Did you know?Early Christian writers used cenobite for communal monks in contrast with anchorites, religious solitaries who withdrew into isolation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷeyh₃-
“To live; the reconstructed root associated with Greek bíos, “life””
Ancient Greek
Greek
κοινόβιος (koinóbios)
“Living a common or communal life”
Late Ancient Greek
Greek
κοινοβίτης (koinobítēs)
“A person living in a religious community”
Late Antiquity
Latin
coenobita
“A monk living in a monastery or communal religious settlement”
Middle English
English
cenobite
“A member of a religious community, especially a monk”
Modern English
English
cenobite
“A monk or nun who practices communal religious life”