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monk

Pronunciation: /mʌŋk/

The English word “monk” has 16 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.
  2. In earlier usage, an eremite or hermit devoted to solitude, as opposed to a cenobite, who lived communally.
  3. Someone who leads an isolated life; a loner, a hermit.
  4. An unmarried man who does not have sexual relationships.
  5. A judge.
  6. An inkblot.
  7. A South American monkey (Pithecia monachus); also applied to other species, as Cebus xanthosternos.
  8. The bullfinch, common bullfinch, European bullfinch, or Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula).
  9. The monkfish.
  10. A fuse for firing mines.
  11. A monkey.

verb

  1. To be a monk.
  2. To act like a monk; especially to be contemplative.
  3. To monkey or meddle; to behave in a manner that is not systematic.
  4. To be intoxicated or confused.
  5. To attach so that it sticks out.

Etymology

From Middle English monk, from Old English munuc, from Proto-West Germanic *munik, from Late Latin monicus, variant of monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”).

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