noun.
A community of persons, especially monks, bound by vows to a religious life and often living in partial or complete seclusion.
noun.
The dwelling place of such a community.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
A house or other place of residence occupied in common by persons seeking religious seclusion from the world: commonly applied to such a house exclusively used by monks.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noun.
A house of religious retirement, or of secusion from ordinary temporal concerns, especially for monks; -- more rarely applied to such a house for females.
noun.
Place of residence for members of a religious community (especially monks).
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
noun.
the residence of a religious community
Word Usage
"Originally the term monastery designated, both in the East and in the West, the dwelling either of a solitary or of a community; while caenobium, congregatio, fraternitas, asceterion, etc. were applied solely to the houses of communities."