Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nunnery

/ˈnʌn(ə)ɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.50 in modern English

Syllables: nun-nery
IPA: /ˈnʌn(ə)ɹi/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any convent (religious community) or the buildings thereof.

noun

Any convent (religious community) or the buildings thereof.

noun

Synonym of brothel.

Humorous; Obsolete; Slang

name

Example Sentences

"Get thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?"
"[To] some one Gentleman generally acquainted, they giue... free priuiledge thenceforward in theyr Nunnery, to procure them frequentance..."
"To the antipapist Tudors nunnery was a slang term for a brothel."

Etymology

From Middle English nonnery, nonnerie, equivalent to nun + -ery. (brothel): Compare typologically Czech nevěstinec (< nevěstka < nevěsta).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: nonnery
Suffix: nun

Usage

Inflected Forms

nunneries (plural) Nunnerys (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

abbess cloister convent nun

Synonyms

convent brothel ribat

Rhymes With

gunnery

Questions

How do you pronounce nunnery?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnʌn(ə)ɹi/.
What does nunnery mean?: Any convent (religious community) or the buildings thereof.
Where does nunnery come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nunnery

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