Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cloister” come from?

cloister (English) comes from English -like, from Middle English -like, from Middle English -liche, from Old English -līc, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, from Proto-Germanic līką, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.

cloister (English): A covered walk with an open colonnade on one...

Definitions

  1. A covered walk with an open colonnade on one...

Ancestry of “cloister”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-likeHaving some of the characteristics of
2Middle English-likeAlternative form of -liche
3Middle English-licheUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
4Old English-līc—
5Proto-Germanic-līkaz-like, -ly
6Proto-Germaniclīkąbody; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie

Words derived from “cloister”

  • cloisterlike
  • cloistress
  • uncloister
  • encloister
  • cloisterless
  • cloisteress
  • incloister
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- →