hermit

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English hermite, heremite, eremite, from Old French eremite, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, person of the desert) from ἐρημία (erēmía, desert, solitude), from ἔρημος (érēmos) or ἐρῆμος (erêmos, uninhabited) plus -ίτης (-ítēs, one connected to, a member of). Doublet of eremite. Displaced native Old English ānsetla.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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hermit (plural hermits)

  1. A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.
    Synonyms: anchorite, eremite
  2. A recluse; someone who lives alone and shuns human companionship.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:recluse
  3. A spiced cookie made with molasses, raisins, and nuts.
  4. A hermit crab.
    • 2016, Vicki Judah, Kathy Nuttall, Exotic Animal Care and Management, page 279:
      Because hermits are decapods and do not live within their own shells, they are not considered to be true crabs.
  5. Any in the subfamily Phaethornithinae of hummingbirds.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

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Anagrams

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