Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ANCHORITE
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connect this word to others:
If you're happiest when you're home, alone, doing your own thing and keeping human interaction to a minimum, you might be a bit of an anchorite.
If so, we have that in common.
Why are anchorites so anchoritic? If they feel drained by too much socializing, they're introverts. If they dislike the modern world, they're trog_______s. And if they despise the modern world and everyone in it, they're mis______pes.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"ANCHORITE"
The word "anchorite" has Greek roots that mean "withdrawn back." (Although "anchorite" looks so much like "anchor," the similarity is a coincidence: "anchor" comes from a Greek word meaning "hook.")
Strictly speaking, an anchorite is a person who has withdrawn from society and lives alone.
And more loosely speaking, an anchorite is a person who spends a lot of time alone.
Pronunciation:
ANK uh right
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "he's an anchorite," "they've been anchorites for years."
Other forms:
The plural is "anchorites."
The place where an anchorite lives is an "anchorage."
The noun for the idea or practice of living apart from the rest of the world is "anchoretism," or if you prefer, "anchoritism."
For an adjective, take your pick: "anchoritic," "anchoretic," "anchoretical," "anchoretish," or "anchoritish." (Hey, it looks like every anchorite made up his own adjective; maybe they should all meet up together and pick...oh, wait, never mind.) You can also just keep it simple and use "anchorite" itself as an adjective: "these anchorite monks," "an anchorite perspective."
How to use it:
Because the first anchorites withdrew from society for religious reasons, the word "anchorite" has held onto its serious, scholarly tone. That makes it a great alternative to "hermit" and "recluse" when you need to be especially formal or sophisticated in your choice of words.
Refer to someone--or yourself--as an anchorite, or refer to anchorites in general: "this silent mountain inn appeals to the anchorite in me," "somehow their campaign reached even the nation's anchorites."
Or, talk about becoming an anchorite; withdrawing like an anchorite; living, hiding, or working like an anchorite; etc.
examples:
"What was once a reclusive aerie for hippy anchorites feeding off the zen is now a major destination for adventure tourism, a place to unleash your inner intrepid."
— Henry Wismayer, Washington Post, 31 July 201
"There are not many places in Ireland more interesting than this strange and weird glen. It can hardly be called beautiful. ... It is just such a spot as an anchorite like St Kevin would choose as a place for contemplation and prayer."
— T. O. Russell, Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland, 1897
has this page helped you understand "anchorite"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "anchorite" without saying "hermit" or "shut-in."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) lives like an anchorite, (doing something)."
Example 1: "Now a great-grandmother, she lives like an anchorite, emerging once a week with reluctance to get her hair washed and styled."
Example 2: "Chloe lives like an anchorite, curling up for long naps in patches of sunlight upstairs, refusing to descend to the first floor, where we would inevitably try to pet her."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is Distinctive Definitions.
We're taking a scenic slog through poetic and philosophical definitions, wading through similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperboles, grandiloquence, and cheesiness.
In each issue, consider a definition provided by a poet, a writer, or a philosopher, and see if you can name the definiendum: the thing or concept being defined. (Is it life, love, time, death, music, sleep, pain, laughter, bubblegum, stubbing your toe…???) For example, James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) said, "What men call ________ and the Gods call dross." He’s defining something—what is it? "Treasure."
Now, you can play this game in earnest, trying to think of what the poet actually wrote--or you can play it for laughs, supplying the silliest or most sarcastic answer you can muster.
To take the silliness to the next level, gather your friends or family, deal each person a hand of cards from your copy of Apples to Apples (great for kids) or Cards Against Humanity (not for kids!!), and enjoy the ensuing hilarity. (In these games, players take turns being the judge for each round, picking the funniest from everyone’s submissions.) "What men call stretch limos and the Gods call dross." "What men call Morgan Freeman's voice and the Gods call dross."
From the previous issue:
Jean Baptiste Poquelin (Molière) (1622-1673) said, "_____, which knows how to control even kings."
(Hint: this guy's writings have been praised as some of the greatest in the French language.)
Answer: Grammar.
Try this one today:
Marcus Aurelius (121-180) said, "_____ is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away."
review this word:
1. A near opposite of ANCHORITE is
A. VIRTUOSO.
B. EXTROVERT.
C. BIG SPENDER.
2. He spends joyful, anchoritic hours at this _____.
A. bustling office
B. tranquil library
C. family-friendly sports bar
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
If you're happiest when you're home, alone, doing your own thing and keeping human interaction to a minimum, you might be a bit of an anchorite.
"ANCHORITE" The word "anchorite" has Greek roots that mean "withdrawn back." (Although "anchorite" looks so much like "anchor," the similarity is a coincidence: "anchor" comes from a Greek word meaning "hook.")
"What was once a reclusive aerie for hippy anchorites feeding off the zen is now a major destination for adventure tourism, a place to unleash your inner intrepid."
Explain the meaning of "anchorite" without saying "hermit" or "shut-in."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) lives like an anchorite, (doing something)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of ANCHORITE is
|