I. ˈklȯi-stər noun
Etymology: Middle English cloistre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin claustrum, from Latin, bar, bolt, from claudere to close — more at close
Date: 13th century
1.
a. : a monastic establishment
b. : an area within a monastery or convent to which the religious are normally restricted
c. : monastic life
d. : a place or state of seclusion
2. : a covered passage on the side of a court usually having one side walled and the other an open arcade or colonnade
[
cloister 2
]
II. transitive verb
( clois·tered ; clois·ter·ing -st(ə-)riŋ)
Date: 1581
1. : to seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister
a scientist who cloister s herself in a laboratory
2. : to surround with a cloister
cloister ed gardens