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monk

monks

A monk is a man who has dedicated his live to religion, partly by giving up some aspects of regular, worldly life. Many monks live together in a religious community.

To a greater or lesser extent, a monk has chosen to leave society and devote his life to prayer and service. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, some monks pray unceasingly, while Buddhist monks often teach others, and Roman Catholic monks sing in choirs. In some cases, monks raise money for their churches by training dogs, baking bread, or even brewing beer. Originally, monk referred to men or women, though it's more common today to use nun for a woman.

Definitions of monk
  1. noun
    a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
    synonyms: monastic
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    examples:
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    Roger Bacon
    English scientist and Franciscan monk who stressed the importance of experimentation; first showed that air is required for combustion and first used lenses to correct vision (1220-1292)
    Saint Benedict
    Italian monk who founded the Benedictine order about 540 (480-547)
    Gregor Mendel
    Augustinian monk and botanist whose experiments in breeding garden peas led to his eventual recognition as founder of the science of genetics (1822-1884)
    Pelagius
    a British or Irish monk who denied the doctrines of original sin and predestination and defended human goodness and free will; his views were declared heretical by the Council of Ephesus in 431 (circa 360-418)
    types:
    Brother
    (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as form of address
    Carthusian
    a member of the Carthusian order
    Cistercian, Trappist
    member of an order of monks noted for austerity and a vow of silence
    type of:
    religious
    a member of a religious order who is bound by vows of poverty and chastity and obedience
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