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Added 5 October 2026

hermit

/ˈhɝmɪt/ noun

In Latin: inclūsus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about hermit at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.
A recluse; someone who lives alone and shuns human companionship.
A spiced cookie made with molasses, raisins, and nuts.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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