Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “cloister” come from?

cloister (Middle English) comes from Middle English cloistre, from Old French cloistre, from Latin claustrum, from Latin claudere, from Latin claudo, from Proto-Italic klaudō — close.

cloister (Middle English): Alternative form of cloistre

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of cloistre

Ancestry of “cloister”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcloistreA monastery or cloister; a place where a monastic...
2Old Frenchcloistrecloister
3Latinclaustruma bar, band, bolt; gate, door, bulwark; enclosure
4Latinclauderepresent active infinitive of claudō;...
5LatinclaudoI shut, close, lock; I imprison, confine; I...
6Proto-Italicklaudōclose
Every word from Proto-Italic klaudō →