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hermit

Translation
hermit
—hermitic, hermitical, hermitish, adj. —hermitically, adv. —hermitlike, adj. —hermitry, hermitship, n.
/herr"mit/, n.
1. a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
2. any person living in seclusion; recluse.
3. Zool. an animal of solitary habits.
4. Ornith. any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis, having curved bills and dull-colored rather than iridescent plumage.
5. a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.
6. Obs. a beadsman.
[1175-1225; ME ermite, hermite, heremite < OF < LL eremita < Gk eremités living in a desert, equiv. to erém(ia) desert (deriv. of erêmos desolate) + -ites -ITE1]
Syn. 1. eremite, monastic, anchorite, cenobite.

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Individual who shuns society to live in solitude, often for religious reasons.

The first Christian hermits appeared in Egypt in the 3rd century AD, escaping persecution by withdrawing to the desert and leading a life of prayer and penance. The first hermit was probably Paul of Thebes с AD 250. Other famous hermits included St. Anthony of Egypt, who established an early form of Christian monasticism in the 4th century, and the pillar hermit Simeon Stylites. The communal life of monasteries eventually tempered the austerities of the hermit's life. In Western Christianity the eremitic life died out, but it has persisted in Eastern Christianity.

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      any of several hummingbird species of the genus Phaethornis. See hummingbird.

also called  Eremite,  

      one who retires from society, primarily for religious reasons, and lives in solitude. In Christianity the word (from Greek erēmitēs, “living in the desert”) is used interchangeably with anchorite, although the two were originally distinguished on the basis of location: an anchorite selected a cell attached to a church or near a populous centre, while a hermit retired to the wilderness.

      The first Christian hermits appeared by the end of the 3rd century in Egypt, where one reaction to the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Decius was flight into the desert to preserve the faith and to lead a life of prayer and penance. Paul of Thebes, who fled to the desert about 250, has been considered the first hermit.

      The excessive austerity and other extremes of the early hermits' lives were tempered by the establishment of cenobite (common life) communities. The foundation was thus laid in the 4th century for the institution of monasticism (i.e., monks living a common life according to an established rule). The eremitic life eventually died out in Western Christianity, but it has continued in Eastern Christianity. See also monasticism (building construction).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Hermit — Her mit, n. [OE. ermite, eremite, heremit, heremite, F. hermite, ermite, L. eremita, Gr. ?, fr. ? lonely, solitary. Cf. {Eremite}.] 1. A person who retires from society and lives in solitude; a recluse; an anchoret; especially, one who so lives… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hermit — noun отшельник, пустынник …   Англо-русский словарь Мюллера

  • hermit — 1> отшельник; пустынник 2> уст. странник; богомолец 3> животное отшельник 4> печенье с мелко нарезанными орехами и изюмом …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • Hermit — A hermit (from the Greek anachōreō , signifying to withdraw , to depart into the country outside the circumvallated city ), recluse and solitary . However, it is important to retain a clear distinction between the vocation of hermits and that of… …   Wikipedia

  • Hermit — Le hermit est une langue éteinte des langues des îles de l Amirauté en province de Manus. Son code ISO était llf. Il était parlé sur l île éponyme et sur les îles Luf et Maron. Portail des langues …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hermit — A person living in solitude for religious reasons; later, also a vagabond. Ideas about hermits were not hard and fast: they could be good men or rogues. The romances of the 13c often portrayed hermits sympathetically, particularly aiding… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • 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. a. one that… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • hermit — noun a) A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite. b) A recluse; someone who lives alone and shuns human companionship. Syn: eremite …   Wiktionary

  • hermit — n 1. отшельник; 2. богомолец; странник …   Англо-русский словарь по социологии

  • hermit — [ hɜːmɪt] 1) Общая лексика: богомолец, животное отшельник, отшельник, печенье с мелко нарезанными орехами и изюмом, пустынник, скитник 2) Биология: колибри отшельник (Glaucis), солнечный колибри (Phaethornis), колибри рамфодон (Ramphodon),… …   Универсальный англо-русский словарь