Definitions for Recluseˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word Recluse

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

rec•luseˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus(n.)

  1. a person who lives in seclusion or apart from society.

  2. Ref: reclusive. 1

Origin of recluse:

1175–1225; ME < OF reclus < LL reclūsus, ptp. of reclūdere to shut in, lock up

Princeton's WordNet

  1. hermit, recluse, solitary, solitudinarian, troglodyte(adj)

    one who lives in solitude

  2. recluse, reclusive, withdrawn(adj)

    withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

    "lived an unsocial reclusive life"


  1. recluse(Noun)


  2. recluse(Noun)

    The place where a recluse dwells; a place of isolation or seclusion.

  3. recluse(Noun)

    A brown recluse spider.

  4. recluse(Verb)

    To shut; to seclude.

  5. recluse(Adjective)

    (now rare) Sequestered; secluded, isolated.

  6. recluse(Adjective)

    (now rare) Hidden, secret.

  7. Origin: From reclus, past participle of reclure, from recludere, present active infinitive of recludo, from re- + claudo.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Recluse(adj)

    shut up; sequestered; retired from the world or from public notice; solitary; living apart; as, a recluse monk or hermit; a recluse life

  2. Recluse(adj)

    a person who lives in seclusion from intercourse with the world, as a hermit or monk; specifically, one of a class of secluded devotees who live in single cells, usually attached to monasteries

  3. Recluse(adj)

    the place where a recluse dwells

  4. Recluse(verb)

    to shut up; to seclude


  1. Recluse

    A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." Historically, the word referred to a hermit's total isolation from the world. Examples are Symeon of Trier, who lived within the great Roman gate Porta Nigra, having gained permission from the Archbishop of Trier, or the 19th-century Russian monk, glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church, Theophan the Recluse.

Translations for Recluse

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary


a person who lives alone and avoids other people.

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