ancress

An ancress lives a solitary life of prayer in a small stone cell.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A female hermit or recluse: "ancress" refers to a woman who lives in seclusion, typically for religious reasons, often attached to a church or monastery.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The ancress spent her days in prayer and solitude within her small cell. (A woman who lived as a religious recluse.)
  • Medieval literature occasionally mentions an ancress who offered spiritual guidance to visitors. (A female hermit providing counsel.)

Advanced Usage

• "to live as an ancress": to adopt a life of religious seclusion and contemplation.
  • She chose to live as an ancress, devoting herself entirely to God. (She became a religious recluse.)

Variants and Related Words

• Anchoress (n): a more common variant of "ancress," meaning a female anchorite or hermit.
  • The anchoress was walled into her cell for life. (A female recluse permanently enclosed.)

Synonyms

• Recluse: a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from society.
• Hermit: a person living in solitude, often for religious reasons.
• Anchorite: a religious recluse, especially one who is permanently enclosed in a cell.

Related Idioms

• None common; "ancress" is a historical or literary term, not used in modern idiomatic expressions.