monastery

noun, plural mon·as·ter·ies.

1. a house or place of residence occupied by a community of persons, especially monks, living in seclusion under religious vows.
2. the community of persons living in such a place.

noun plural -teries

1. the residence of a religious community, esp of monks, living in seclusion from secular society and bound by religious vows

n.c.1400, from Old French monastere “monastery” (14c.) and directly from Late Latin monasterium, from Ecclesiastical Greek monasterion “a monastery,” from monazein “to live alone,” from monos “alone” (see mono-). With suffix -terion “place for (doing something).” Originally applied to houses of any religious order, male or female.