hermit

Definition

A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.

Etymology

From Middle English hermite, heremite, eremite, from Old French eremite, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, “person of the desert”) from ἐρημία (erēmía, “desert, solitude”), from ἔρημος (érēmos) or ἐρῆμος (erêmos, “uninhabited”) plus -ίτης (-ítēs, “one connected to, a member of”). Doublet of eremite. Displaced native Old English ānsetla.

Example Sentences

• "Solitary the thrush, / The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements, / Sings by himself a song."
• "Millie told him he sounded like some batty hermit who lived in a cave."
• "Because hermits are decapods and do not live within their own shells, they are not considered to be true crabs."

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