Cloistered
/ˈklɔɪ.stərd/noun
Kept apart from the world; secluded, especially in a religious setting.
Did you know?The root behind *cloister* ultimately comes from Latin *claudere*, “to shut,” the same ancient source that gave English *close*, *clue* (via “a ball of thread” that closes a puzzle), and *exclude*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*klau-
“to shut, enclose”
Latin
Latin
claudere
“to shut, close”
Late Latin
Latin
claustrum
“a shut place, enclosure, monastery”
Old French
Old French
cloistre
“cloister, monastery enclosure”
Middle English
English
cloistre
“a covered walkway in a monastery; a religious enclosure”
Modern English
English
cloistered
“secluded or shut away, especially from ordinary life”