nunnery
/ˈnʌn(ə)ɹi/ noun, proper noun
Forms nunneries Nunnerys
- noun Any convent (religious community) or the buildings thereof.
- noun (chiefly Christianity) The residence of a female religious community, a monastery or abbey for nuns.
- noun (humorous, slang, obsolete) Synonym of brothel.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English nonnery, nonnerie, equivalent to nun + -ery.
(brothel): Compare typologically Czech nevěstinec (< nevěstka < nevěsta).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A house in which nuns reside; a cloister or convent in which women reside for life, under religious vows. See Cloister, and Convent.
Etymology [OE. nonnerie, OF. nonerie, F. nonnerie, fr. nonne nun, L. nonna. See Nun.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nunnery”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details