Convent
/ˈkɒn.vɛnt/noun
A community of nuns or monks living under religious vows, or the building they occupy.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *conventus*, meaning an assembly or coming together, from *convenire*—so at its core, a convent is literally a place where people are “brought together.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gwa-
“to come, go”
Latin
Latin
convenīre
“to come together, meet, assemble”
Latin
Latin
conventus
“an assembly, meeting; a religious community”
Old French
Old French
convent
“a religious house or community”
Middle English
English
convent
“a house for monks or nuns”
Modern English
English
convent
“a religious community or its building”
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