What does anchoress mean?
An anchoress is a woman who withdraws permanently from society to live a life of solitary prayer, typically confined to a small cell called an anchorhold that was often attached to a church. The term belongs primarily to the history of medieval Christianity, when enclosure of this kind was regarded as a solemn religious vocation rather than mere retreat: the rite by which an anchoress entered her cell resembled a funeral mass, symbolising her death to the world. She received food through a window and offered spiritual counsel through another. The most celebrated example is Julian of Norwich, whose mystical writings made her one of the most important voices of medieval English spirituality. Today the word appears almost exclusively in historical, literary, and religious contexts, evoking themes of devotion, silence, and deliberate renunciation of worldly life.
nounA woman who has withdrawn from the world to live in a small, sealed room (an anchorhold), typically attached to a church, for a life of solitary prayer and religious devotion. The term is chiefly historical, referring to the practice common in medieval Christianity.
- A woman who lives enclosed in a cell (anchorhold) for life, devoted to prayer and contemplation; historically associated with medieval Christian practice.
"The anchoress lived for decades in her cell beside the parish church, speaking to visitors only through a narrow window."
"In the fourteenth century, the anchoress was walled into her anchorhold with great ceremony, as if attending her own funeral."
"Scholars have studied the writings of Julian of Norwich, the best-known anchoress of medieval England."
Standard plural form, used when referring to multiple women who took up this vocation.
"Several anchoresses were recorded as living in cells attached to English parish churches during the Middle Ages."
Julian of Norwich, perhaps the most famous anchoress in history, wrote the first known book in English by a woman — from inside a cell she never left.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anchoress
Anchoress derives from the Old French 'anachorete', which itself traces back through Late Latin 'anachoreta' to Greek 'anachōrētēs', meaning 'one who retires or withdraws', from 'anachōrein' ('to withdraw'). The word entered English in the medieval period alongside the related masculine form 'anchorite' and the term 'anchorhold' for the enclosure itself. Its Greek root also underlies the broader notion of withdrawal into solitude that shaped early Christian monasticism.
How anchoress is actually used
Anchoress is a historical term, used mainly in discussions of medieval religion and literature. It carries connotations of piety, austerity, and voluntary seclusion. The feminine counterpart of 'anchorite'.
Easily confused with anchoress
An anchorite is the male equivalent — a man enclosed for religious solitude — while an anchoress specifically refers to a woman.