Hypertext Webster Gateway: "monastery"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Monastery \Mon"as*te*ry\, n.; pl. {Monasteries}. [L.
monasterium, Gr. ?, fr. ? a solitary, a monk, fr. ? to be
alone, live in solitude, fr. ? alone. Cf. {Minister}.]
A house of religious retirement, or of secusion from ordinary
temporal concerns, especially for monks; -- more rarely
applied to such a house for females.
Syn: Convent; abbey; priory. See {Cloister}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
monastery
n : the residence of a religious community
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