Agency Dictionary
Monk
nounPronunciation: /mʌŋk/
In Portuguese: Monge
Spirituality & MythWhat does “Monk” mean?
A man who belongs to a religious community and dedicates his life to prayer, contemplation, and ascetic spiritual practices, typically under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Etymology
From Old English munuc, which came from Late Latin monachus (a Christian monk living alone or in a community). Late Latin monachus was borrowed from Greek monakhos (solitary person, one who lives alone), from monos (alone, single). It is an early borrowing from Latin, shared with other West Germanic languages and already present in Old English, long before the Norman Conquest.
Synonyms
- friar
- brother
- religious
- monastic
Word family
- monastic
- monastery
- monasticism
Rhymes with
- trunk
- bunk
- funk
- junk
- skunk
- chunk
- dunk
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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