hermit

views updated May 29 2018

her·mit / ˈhərmit/ • n. 1. a person living in solitude as a religious discipline. ∎ any person living in solitude or seeking to do so. 2. a hummingbird (Phaethornis and other genera) found in the shady lower layers of tropical forests.DERIVATIVES: her·mit·ic / hərˈmitik/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

hermit

views updated May 11 2018

hermit XIII. ME. armite, (h)er(e)mite — OF. (h)ermite (mod. ermite) or ChrL. erēmīta (medL. her-) — Gr. erēmī́tēs, f. erēmíā desert, f. érēmos solitary, deserted.
So hermitage XIII.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

hermit

views updated Jun 11 2018

hermit a person living in solitude as a religious discipline; the word is recorded from Middle English, and comes via Old French and late Latin, from Greek erēmitēs, from erēmos ‘solitary’.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES