noun
- people who withdraw from society to live in religious seclusion, typically in isolation for prayer and contemplation
Usage: historical; religious
Examples
- Medieval anchorites often lived in small cells attached to churches.
- The anchorites devoted their lives entirely to prayer and meditation.
- Some anchorites were walled into their chambers for life.
- Female anchorites were sometimes called anchoresses.
- The tradition of anchorites was common in medieval Christianity.
- These religious anchorites rarely spoke to anyone outside their spiritual advisors.