What does anchorite mean?
An anchorite is a religious recluse who withdraws permanently from society to devote himself or herself to prayer, penance, and contemplation. In the Christian tradition, particularly in medieval England, anchorites were formally enclosed in small cells called anchorholds, often built against the wall of a parish church, and were frequently sealed in during a solemn rite that resembled a funeral mass, marking their symbolic death to the world. Food and waste passed through a narrow window, and through another the anchorite might offer spiritual advice to visitors. The female equivalent was known as an anchoress; Julian of Norwich is the most celebrated example. Though the term is primarily historical and ecclesiastical, it can be extended to anyone embracing extreme, deliberate solitude. The word connotes austerity, devotion, and radical renunciation, making it a vivid term in discussions of monasticism, mysticism, and the history of religious life.
nounA religious recluse who withdraws from society to live a life of prayer and contemplation, typically confined to a small cell attached to a church. The term is applied chiefly to Christian hermits of the medieval period, especially in England.
- A Christian religious recluse permanently enclosed in a cell, usually attached to a church, devoted to prayer and contemplation.
- More broadly, any person living in deliberate, extreme seclusion from society.
"The anchorite spent decades in her cell beside the parish church, receiving food through a narrow window."
"Julian of Norwich, perhaps the most famous anchoress, received visitors through her cell window while offering spiritual counsel."
"The ruined anchorhold still stands at the north side of the church, where an anchorite once lived out his days."
Standard regular plural.
"Several anchorites were enclosed at the priory over the course of the fifteenth century."
Some medieval English anchorites were literally walled into their cells for life — the enclosure ceremony even included a requiem mass, since they were considered dead to the world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anchorite
Anchorite derives from the Greek 'anchōrētēs', meaning 'one who has withdrawn' or retired from the world, formed on the verb 'anchōrein', 'to withdraw'. The word reached English through Latin 'anchorita' and ecclesiastical usage, becoming established in medieval religious writing. Its Greek root also gave rise to related terms such as 'anchoress' (a female anchorite) and 'anchorhold' (the cell of an anchorite), all sharing the core idea of withdrawal into seclusion.
Related word forms
How anchorite is actually used
The word carries strong historical and ecclesiastical connotations and appears mainly in historical, literary, or scholarly contexts rather than everyday speech. It is formal in register. The female form 'anchoress' was historically common, and some modern scholars prefer gender-neutral phrasing when discussing the practice.
Easily confused with anchorite
An anchorite was permanently enclosed in a cell, often walled in as part of a religious rite, whereas a hermit lived in seclusion but with greater freedom of movement.
An anchoress is simply the female counterpart of an anchorite — the same vocation applied to a woman.