Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cloister

/ˈklɔɪstɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.75 in modern English

Syllables
clois-ter
IPA
/ˈklɔɪstɚ/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:

noun

A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:

noun

A place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion.

noun

The monastic life.

verb

To become a Roman Catholic religious.

Intransitive verb

verb

To confine in a cloister, voluntarily or not.

Transitive verb

verb

To deliberately withdraw from worldly things.

Intransitive verb

verb

To provide with a cloister or cloisters.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”), a derivation of the past participle of claudere (“to close”). Doublet of claustrum.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈklɔɪstɚ/
  • British English: /ˈklɔɪstə/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Places.

Inflected Forms

cloisters (plural) cloistre (alternative, obsolete) cloisters (present, singular) cloistering (participle, present) cloistered (participle, past) cloistered (past)

Derived Forms

cloisterer cloisteress cloisterism cloisterless cloisterlike cloisterly cloistral cloistress encloister incloister cloistered uncloister

Phrases

cloister vault

Frequently Paired Words

claustrum claustral claustrophobia claustration abbey hermitage monastery nunnery

Synonyms

enter religion religious residence

Rhymes With

oyster royster roister foister moister

Questions

How do you pronounce cloister?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈklɔɪstɚ/.
What does cloister mean?
A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:
Where does cloister come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce cloister

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cloister”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈklɔɪstɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cloister”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cloister” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.