English
anchoress
Anchoress comes from Middle English ankres.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ankres
- Englishearliest quotation 2003anchoress
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ankres
- Englishearliest quotation 2003anchoress
Earliest quotation: 2003, Yōko Wada, A Genre of Ancrene Wisse: “… and advises the anchoresses to take on the…”
Every English word from Middle English ankres
Today it means
noun A female anchorite. A woman who chooses to withdraw from the world to live a solitary life of prayer and contemplation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English ankres / anchoress