1. A woman who lives in seclusion for religious reasons; a female anchorite or hermit.
Usage: archaic; historical; religious context

Examples

• The ancress spent her days in prayer within the stone cell attached to the church.
• Medieval ancresses often lived in small chambers built into cathedral walls.
• She took vows to become an ancress, renouncing worldly life.
• The ancress communicated with the outside world only through a small window.
• Records show that several ancresses inhabited the monastery grounds during the 14th century.