noun

monk

MUNK/mʌŋk/

A man who lives under religious vows, usually in a monastery.

The monk joins his community for prayer each morning.

Three adult male Buddhist monks in matching ochre robes sit together in prayer inside a sparsely suggested monastery hall, making both religious commitment and communal monastic life visible.

Etymology

Greek monakhos connects the monk with solitude: early monks withdrew from the world to practice religion alone. The term came to include men living under religious vows in communities.

In context

Forward Boldly45:13

the man who comes to be a monk has to be prepared to let go of all his plans his dreams he cannot come to the monastery with an agenda

Dom Mark Kirby, OSB, Silverstream Priory, Ireland

More examples

A Buddhist monk teaches meditation at the temple.
The monks grow vegetables in the monastery garden.
He decides to become a monk and take religious vows.

Forms

monk · monks

monastic adjective — Relating to monks and their religious life.

Similar words

friar: Belongs to certain religious orders, often serving the surrounding community.
hermit: Lives in solitude, not necessarily under religious vows.