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monk

[ muhngk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Synonyms:
(in any religion) a man who is a member of a monastic order:
a Buddhist monk.
Printing. a dark area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type. Compare friar ( def 2 ).

Monk

[ muhngk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(James) Arthur Art, born 1957, U.S. football player.
�ճ��·��·�Ծ�·�ǳܲ� [th, uh, -, loh, -nee-, uh, s] (Sphere), 1917–1982, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.
George. Monck, George.

Monk

/ ��ʌŋ�� /

noun

MonkThelonious (Sphere)19201982MUSMUSIC: jazz pianistMUSIC: composer Thelonious ( Sphere ) (θəˈləʊnɪəs). 1920–82, US jazz pianist and composer
a variant spelling of (George) Monck

monk

/ ��ʌŋ�� /

noun

a male member of a religious community bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience monastic
sometimes capital a fancy pigeon having a bald pate and often large feathered feet

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Word History and Origins

Origin of monk¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Greek ��ǲԲ��ó�� “hermit,” noun use of adjective: “solitary,” equivalent to ��ó��(�ǲ�) “alone” + -achos adjective suffix

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Word History and Origins

Origin of monk¹

Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Late Greek: solitary (man), from Greek monos alone

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Synonym Study

Monk, friar refer to members of special male groups whose lives are devoted to the service of the church, especially in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. A monk is properly a member of a monastery, under a superior; he is bound by a vow of stability, and is a co-owner of the community property of the monastery. Since the Reformation, monk and friar have been used as if they were the same. A friar is, however, strictly speaking, a member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In that case, Louisiana regulators prevented monks from selling handmade caskets without demonstrating any legitimate public interest in health, safety, or consumer protection.

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Nearly 850 years after it was razed to the ground with its resident monks killed, the secrets of Erenagh may have been brought to the surface.

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Legend has it that around the 6th Century, Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma introduced these techniques to the Shaolin monks, influencing the more famous Chinese martial art.

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Each monk feels a different part of the elephant and comes to the wrong conclusion about what the elephant actually is.

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It used to be that academia was the equivalent of a convent, where the nuns and monks went to do their thinking, and even that doesn’t exist anymore.

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Related Words

Moniz monkery

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