cloister
gb/klˈɔɪstɚ/ us/klˈɔɪstɚ/
C1
English
kerengő, kolostor, szerzetesi élet, kolostori élet, menedék, elzár, elvonul
NOUN
C1
1
kerengő
C1
Usage pattern:
a cloister (of/in [building/place])
They walked slowly through the cloister, listening to the echo of their footsteps.
Lassan végigsétáltak a kerengőben, és hallgatták lépteik visszhangját.
The museum exhibits are arranged around a cloister with a small garden in the center.
A múzeumi tárgyak egy kerengő körül vannak elrendezve, amelynek közepén kis kert van.
Students crossed the cloister to reach the library during the rain.
Learner examples
We sat in the cloister because it was cool.
A kerengőben ültünk, mert ott hűvös volt.
The old school has a cloister with arches.
A régi iskolának boltíves kerengője van.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse cloister (a walkway or monastic place) with cluster.
Meaning
covered walkway with columns
Collocations
stone cloister
|monastery cloister
|cathedral cloister
|college cloister
|the cloister walk
|a quiet cloister
|arched cloister
|a medieval cloister
|the cloister courtyard
|a cloister garden
Synonyms
arcade (Often any covered passage with arches; not necessarily part of a religious complex.)
|
colonnade (Emphasizes the columns; may be outdoors and not covered on both sides.)
Antonyms
open walkway (Not covered or enclosed.)
Themes
architecture
|history
|religion
|education
Definition
a covered walkway with columns, often in old buildings
A covered passage, typically with a row of columns or arches along one side, especially in a monastery, cathedral, or college.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
2
kolostor
B2
Usage pattern:
enter the cloister; life in a cloister
After years of travel, he chose the cloister over city life.
Évekig tartó utazás után a városi élet helyett a kolostort választotta.
The novel follows a young woman who is sent to the cloister.
A regény egy fiatal nőt követ, akit kolostorba küldenek.
She wrote letters describing daily routines inside the cloister.
Learner examples
He decided to live in a cloister.
Úgy döntött, hogy kolostorban fog élni.
The cloister was far from the town.
A kolostor távol volt a várostól.
Common mistake:
This meaning is broader than the architectural 'cloister' (the walkway). Context usually shows which one is meant.
Meaning
monastery or convent
Collocations
enter the cloister
|leave the cloister
|the cloister walls
|within the cloister
|a cloister community
|life in the cloister
|retreat to a cloister
|the quiet of the cloister
Synonyms
monastery (More common modern word; usually for monks.)
|
convent (More common modern word; usually for nuns.)
|
abbey (A particular type of monastery, often larger or historically important.)
Antonyms
the secular world (Ordinary non-religious life outside a religious community.)
Themes
religion
|society
|history
Definition
a place where monks or nuns live
A monastery or convent, or the community of people living there, especially when viewed as separate from ordinary society.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
the cloister (as a way of life)
He felt torn between the cloister and a career in public service.
Őrlődött a szerzetesi élet és a közszolgálati pálya között.
For her, the cloister promised peace and purpose.
Számára a szerzetesi élet békét és célt ígért.
The film contrasts the cloister with the noise of the city.
Learner examples
She chose the cloister instead of marriage.
A házasság helyett a szerzetesi életet választotta.
Common mistake:
Often used with 'the' (the cloister) to mean the monastic way of life, not the walkway.
Meaning
monastic life in general
Collocations
the cloister and the world
|withdraw into the cloister
|a call to the cloister
|return to the cloister
|the discipline of the cloister
Synonyms
monastic life (Direct, modern equivalent phrase.)
Antonyms
worldly life (Life focused on ordinary social and material concerns.)
Themes
religion
|lifestyle
Definition
the life of monks or nuns
A way of life associated with living as a monk or nun, characterized by religious devotion and separation from everyday society.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
4
menedék
B2
Usage pattern:
a cloister of [something]
The café’s back patio was a cloister from the traffic outside.
A kávézó hátsó terasza menedéket nyújtott a kinti forgalom elől.
They found a cloister of shade beneath the old trees.
Az öreg fák alatt árnyas menedékre leltek.
The courtyard felt like a cloister in the middle of the city.
Learner examples
This garden is a quiet cloister.
Ez a kert olyan, mint egy csendes menedék.
Common mistake:
This figurative sense is less common; it often appears in descriptive writing.
Meaning
a secluded, sheltered place
Collocations
a leafy cloister
|a cloister of trees
|a cloistered garden
|a cloistered courtyard
Synonyms
retreat (Emphasizes escape and rest; not necessarily enclosed.)
|
sanctuary (Suggests safety or protection, not just quiet.)
Antonyms
hustle and bustle (A busy, noisy environment.)
Themes
places
|lifestyle
Definition
a quiet place away from others
A quiet, enclosed place that feels separated from the outside world.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
5
Usage pattern:
cloister [someone] (away) (from [something/someone]); cloister yourself (away)
The family cloistered the child away from the media.
A család elzárta a gyereket a média elől.
He cloistered himself in his office to finish the report.
Elvonult az irodájába, hogy befejezze a jelentést.
She was cloistered from ordinary life for most of her youth.
Learner examples
He cloistered himself away to study.
Elvonult, hogy tanuljon.
Common mistake:
Often used in passive or as 'cloistered'; learners may overuse it where 'isolate' is more natural.
Meaning
shut away from others
Collocations
cloistered away
|cloistered from the world
|cloister yourself away
|cloister someone away
|cloistered life
|cloistered upbringing
Synonyms
seclude (Close in meaning; focuses on being kept private or apart.)
|
isolate (More general and more common; can be physical or social.)
|
shut away (More informal; emphasizes being kept from others.)
Antonyms
integrate (Bring into normal social life and contact.)
|
expose (Put into contact with the outside world.)
Themes
society
|relationships
|religion
Definition
to keep someone away from other people
To keep someone apart from other people and ordinary life; to seclude or confine, sometimes in a monastery or similar place.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cloister
IPA
GB/klˈɔɪstɚ/
US/klˈɔɪstɚ/
Syllables & stress
cloister (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cloister)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cloister
- Plural: cloisters
Verb
- Base: cloister
- 3rd Person Singular: cloisters
- Present Participle: cloistering
- Past: cloistered
Word family
Forms
cloisters
noun
cloistering
verb
cloistered
verb
Expressions
cloister [someone] away
1/klˈɔɪstɚ sˈʌmwˌʌn əwˈeɪ/
phrasal verb
formal
keep someone hidden and separate
to keep someone away from others
Examples
- The studio cloistered the actor away from reporters during filming.
- They cloistered the witnesses away until the trial began.
- Her parents tried to cloister her away from bad influences.
Learner examples
- They cloistered him away from the public.
cloister yourself away
1/klˈɔɪstɚ jʊɹsˈɛlf əwˈeɪ/
fixed phrase
formal
withdraw to be alone
to go somewhere and be alone
Examples
- She cloistered herself away in the library to revise for exams.
- After the argument, he cloistered himself away for the weekend.
- I cloistered myself away to write without interruptions.
Learner examples
- I cloistered myself away to study.