Definition

Noun: A nunnery is a building or complex of buildings where a community of nuns lives under religious vows. It is a convent specifically for women who have dedicated their lives to religious service.

Usage

The word "nunnery" is used to refer to the residence and place of worship for nuns. It is a specific term for a female religious community. - After taking her vows, she moved into the local nunnery to live a life of prayer and service. - The medieval nunnery has been preserved as a historical site.

Advanced Usage

• "To enter a nunnery": This phrase is an older or literary way of saying a woman becomes a nun.
  • In the story, the young woman decided to enter a nunnery after her family's tragedy.

Variants and Related Words

• Convent (n): A more general term for a Christian community of nuns or monks, though it is often used interchangeably with "nunnery" for female communities.
• Abbey (n): A monastery or convent under the supervision of an abbot or abbess. A nunnery can be an abbey if it is headed by an abbess.
• Cloister (n): Part of a convent, monastery, or nunnery; often refers to a covered walkway or the secluded life lived within such a place.

Synonyms

• Convent
• Cloister (when referring to the place)
• Religious house (general term)

Antonyms

• Monastery (a residence for monks, a male religious community)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Get thee to a nunnery": A famous line from Shakespeare's . In its original context, it is a complex insult and command from Hamlet to Ophelia, suggesting she should become a nun to avoid bearing children or to remove herself from a corrupt world. It is not a polite or typical modern phrase.
  • The phrase "get thee to a nunnery" is often studied for its layered meaning in the play.

Noun

1. the convent of a community of nuns