noun
- plural of anchoress; female religious hermits who lived in seclusion, typically walled into cells attached to churches
Usage: historical; medieval Christianity
Examples
- Medieval anchoresses devoted their lives to prayer and contemplation.
- The anchoresses lived in small cells with windows facing the church altar.
- Julian of Norwich was one of the most famous English anchoresses.
- These anchoresses provided spiritual counsel to visitors through their cell windows.
- The anchoresses’ cells were sealed after they entered, symbolizing their death to the world.
- Many anchoresses wrote mystical texts that survive today.