HERMIT

noun Etymology: Middle English heremite, eremite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin eremita, from Late Greek erēmitēs, from Greek, adjective, living in the desert, from erēmia desert, from erēmos desolate Date: 12th century 1. one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons ; recluse , beadsman , a spiced molasses cookie, ~ism noun