recluseadj.n.adv.

Brit.

/rᵻˈkluːs/, U.S.

/ˈrɛˌklus/,

/rəˈklus/,

/riˈklus/,

/ˈrɛˌkluz/,

/rəˈkluz/,

/riˈkluz/

Forms: Middle English reclues, Middle English reclus, Middle English reclus (plural), Middle English rekles, Middle English– recluse, 1500s recluce; Scottish pre-1700 reclus, pre-1700 1700s– recluse.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French reclus.

Etymology: Partly < Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French reclus (French reclus ) retired or secluded from society, especially as part of a religious discipline (12th cent. in Anglo-Norman), shut away (13th cent. in Anglo-Norman), reclusive (14th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), (noun) enclosed place, enclosure, prison, place of (especially religious) retreat (c1000), hermit, recluse, person who lives in solitude (13th cent.), uses as adjective and noun of reclus , past participle of reclure < classical Latin reclūdere reclude v., and partly < post-classical Latin reclusus secluded from the world (8th cent.), (noun) person secluded from the world, anchorite (6th cent.), prisoner (6th cent.), reclusa (feminine noun; also reclausa ) weir, sluice (10th cent.; 1367 in a British source), uses as adjective and noun of classical Latin reclusus , past participle of reclūdere reclude v. Compare Old Occitan reclus (13th cent.), Catalan reclús (14th cent.), Spanish recluso (15th cent.).

A. adj.

a. In predicative use, or as postmodifier. Of a person: retired or secluded from society, esp. as part of a religious discipline. Also: confined as a prisoner. Now rare.In quot. ?c1225 as a metaphor with the notion of Christ in his mother's womb being ‘enclosed’ like an anchorite.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [adjective]

recluse?c1225

eremitic1483

eremitarya1492

eremitical1577

hermitical1586

eremitish1605

eremital1613

anchoretical1622

hermitary1633

anchoretal1656

anchoritic1661

hermitic1691

hermitish1812

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adjective] > retired or secluded (of person)

recluse?c1225

private1585

shadya1586

retired1590

umbraticala1637

sequestered1643

reclusive1749

umbratile1850

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 277 Nes he [sc. Christ] him seolf reclus [a1400 Pepys bischett] in Marie wombe.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. 2817 An holy clerk reclus, Which full was of gostli vertus.

c1410 tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 81 He lerned of a man recluse [?a1475 anon. tr. an incluse] þat in Wlcanes potte..þe soules of dede men were tormented.

c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 42 (MED) Oure lord Jesu as recluse and stoken in his moderes wombe the space of nine monthes..abideth the dewe tyme of his birthe.

a1475 in Anglia (1911) 34 263 (MED) I pray you to..procede Ayeinst the hert..that he be take anoon And put in prison there to be recluse.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions iv. 15 As most beseeming him, which must liue among many and neuer be recluse.

1639 L. Lawrence tr. San Pedro de Diego Small Treat. betwixt Arnalte & Lucenda 107 He hath retird..; Alone sequester'd, most recluse, where he Dayly expects heart-easing Death to free Him.

1662 S. Pepys Diary 24 May (1970) III. 90 How recluse the Queene hath ever been, and all the voyage never came upon the deck.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 89. ⁋3 It..frequently happens that the most recluse are not the most vigorous prosecutors of study.

1799 C. B. Brown Ormond xi. 122 At all other times, he was obstinately recluse.

1849 C. Brontë Shirley III. i. 21 Beauty and affability had come in my way when I was recluse, desolate, young, and ignorant: a toil-worn governess perishing of uncheered labour.

1868 D. Masson Mem. in O. Goldsmith Misc. Wks. (1869) p. xxxvii Young was dying; Gray was recluse and indolent.

1950 F. B. Deknatel Edvard Munch 51 He was recluse, however, as..the many personal reminiscences published after his death testify.

b. In attributive use in the same sense (usually denoting attachment to seclusion or retirement as a way of life).

ΚΠ

1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. vii. i. f. 24^v One of the holy recluse Nuns..taught me a wholsome and holy prayer.

1679 J. Banks Destr. Troy iii. iii. 43 Deck you his Limbs with rich Embroideries By recluse Virgins of Religion, made.

1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 139. ⁋4 Falling into the Error which recluse Men are very subject to.

1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. xi. 340 He acquired..the qualities and passions of a recluse ecclesiastick.

1865 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire (new ed.) VIII. lxiv. 114 The fashion set by princes has more influence..than the example of recluse philosophers.

1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon l. 315 I care much more now for our recluse friend than I did before.

1952 M. Tripp Faith is Windsock iii. 37 They cursed the one-cinema town with shuttered windows and recluse inhabitants.

2003 S. White Album i. 15 A recluse artist today, a socialite ambassador of the arts tomorrow.

†c. That has withdrawn or been shut off from public view, human intercourse, etc. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > [adjective]

solec1407

separate1600

sequestereda1616

unconjunctive1643

recluse1656

separated1730

removed1766

insulated1781

stray1796

insulate1803

isolated1811

Robinson Crusoe1823

incommunicado1844

shut-out1853

isolate1854

marooned1883

cut-off1894

shut-away1911

shut-off1913

splitsville1964

1656 N. Hardy First Epist. John: 1st Pt. (i. 2) iv. 51 Things in the bosome are recluse from common view.

a1681 R. Allestree Whole Duty Divine Medit. (1694) 10 Now the reason of the Privacy is this.., that we may be recluse from the Observation of all Mortals.

1708 J. Philips Cyder i. 23 I all the live-long Day Consume in Meditation deep, recluse From human Converse.

1789 Triumphs Fortitude I. 159 I resolved to keep myself as recluse from company as I could during my short stay.

1820 J. Chambers Poet. Wks. 141 Confine me in prison, recluse from man's sight.

1870 J. R. Lowell Cathedral 8 And I, recluse from playmates, found perforce Companionship in things.

2. Of a person's life, condition, character, etc.: characterized by seclusion or withdrawal from society, solitary.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adjective]

reclusedc1443

quiet1507

withdrawing1576

secluse1597

reclusive1600

secluded1604

recluse1608

withdrawn?1615

sequestering1620

monastica1631

anchorite1639

solitousa1656

sequestered1658

snug1710

hermitish1812

anchoritish1823

umbratic1839

Garboesque1928

Garboic1937

1608 J. Wilson Eng. Martyrol. 55 Leading a most strict and seuere recluse life for the loue of God.

1650 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. (ed. 2) lxv. 102 in Epistolæ Ho-elianæ (ed. 2) One who by this recluse passive condition hath his share of this hideous storm.

1709 Tatler No. 32. ⁋4 A Lady who had writ a fine Book concerning the Recluse Life.

1797 T. Holcroft tr. F. L. Stolberg Trav. II. xl. 51 Their mode of living is exceedingly recluse and severe.

1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece V. ii. xlvi. 489 His private habits were sober and recluse.

1867 A. Barry Life & Wks. Sir C. Barry x. 329 Few men had less of a recluse character.

1960 F. W. Mote in A. F. Wright Confucian Persuasion 236 T'ao, it will be recalled, was thought of as a man forced into the recluse life by loyalty to a fallen dynasty.

2007 R. P. Setterdahl Just Between You, Me, & Fence Post xxxix. 180 Hypothetically, could Jesus have just lived a quiet and recluse life of 80 years or so?

†3. Of a word or idea: recondite, esoteric. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [adjective]

higheOE

dighela1000

deepc1000

darkOE

starkOE

dusk?c1225

subtle1340

dimc1350

subtilea1393

covert1393

mystica1398

murka1400

cloudyc1400

hard?c1400

mistyc1400

unclearc1400

diffuse1430

abstractc1450

diffused?1456

exquisitec1460

obnubilous?a1475

obscure?a1475

covered1484

intricate?a1500

nice?a1500

perplexeda1500

difficilea1513

difficult1530

privy1532

smoky1533

secret1535

abstruse?1549

difficul1552

entangled1561

confounded1572

darksome1574

obnubilate1575

enigmatical1576

confuse1577

mysteriousa1586

Delphic1598

obfuscatea1600

enfumed1601

Delphicala1603

obstruse1604

abstracted1605

confused1611

questionable1611

inevident1614

recondite1619

cryptic1620

obfuscated1620

transcendent1624

Delphian1625

oraculous1625

enigmatic1628

recluse1629

abdite1635

undilucidated1635

clouded1641

benighted1647

oblite1650

researched1653

obnubilated1658

obscurative1664

tenebrose1677

hyperbyssal1691

condite1695

diffusive1709

profound1710

tenebricose1730

oracular1749

opaque1761

unenlightening1768

darkling1795

offuscating1798

unrecognizable1817

tough1820

abstrusive1848

obscurant1878

out-of-focus1891

unplumbable1895

inenubilable1903

non-transparent1939

1629 J. Lightfoot Erubhin xxvi. 79 So was Pythagoras circumcised, that he might haue accesse to the recluse misteries of the Aegyptians religion.

1693 W. Kennett Life Somner 62 in W. Somner Treat. Rom. Ports & Forts Kent This key to recluse and antiquated words, improv'd whatever of this nature had been done before.

1749 D. Hartley Observ. Man i. i. 39 This is a mere Supposition, and that of a very recluse Nature.

a1770 M. Akenside Let. in Wks. (1867) p. lxxxiv Systems [is] too recluse and subtle a word.

a. Of a place: secluded, hidden from observation, isolated. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [adjective]

secrec1374

blindc1386

privatea1513

secret?a1513

shadowy1555

close1571

retired1593

retrait1603

sequestrate1632

recessful1646

recluse1650

reserved1653

secessive1653

coy1670

sequestrated1726

slya1764

secluded1798

shy1841

retiracied1856

undisprivacied1870

madding1874

1650 R. Heath Clarastella 34 Let the foul witch laze in her smokie cel; Onely black toads in recluse vaults do dwel.

1669 A. Woodhead tr. Life St. Teresa (1671) ii. ii. 6 I was very much stomacked by all my Monastery, because I would erect another, more recluse.

1708 Brit. Apollo 7–12 May Those Limpid Streams retrieve their Heats, From Earth's recluse Sulphureous Seats.

1769 J. Hall-Stevenson Yorick's Sentimental Journey Continued IV. 73 The most recluse retreats..are constantly chosen for these oblations.

1825 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 19 Nov. 449 I never saw any inhabited places more recluse than these.

1895 J. F. Sachse German Pietists Provinc. Pennsylvania ii. 398 Two days later he departed from his humble recluse hut..to enter into the glorious palaces of his Redeemer.

2008 www.wildhorizonsafari.com 28 Jan. (O.E.D. Archive) We will meet our crew again having set up camp in a recluse spot in the bush.

†b. Of a thing, action, etc.: hidden, secret, private. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [adjective]

sundereOE

privyc1300

close1393

private1472

soleinc1475

secret1528

retired1595

implicit1610

cabinet1611

underhanda1616

closet1639

umbratile1640

closeteda1649

curtain1661

recluse1673

snug1710

pocket1804

entre nous1806

underground1820

sub rosa1824

esoterical1850

esoteric1876

1673 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 8 6132 Of the Sensible Natures of Vegetables, as also of their more recluse Faculties and Powers.

1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. iv. iii. 129 I shall not expiate on these recluse Parts [of the ear].

1783 J. Hoole tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso V. xliii. 99 When a husband, with too curious eye, Into his wife's recluser deeds would pry.

B. n.

a. A person who is or has elected to be secluded or isolated from the world for the purpose of religious meditation, as a monk, nun, hermit, etc.; spec. a person who remains shut up in a cell under a vow of strict seclusion.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [noun]

anchorOE

eremitec1200

recluse?c1225

hermitc1275

solitary1435

anchoritea1450

inclusec1460

anchorist1581

cremitt1624

mandrite1844

saint1888

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 8 Þe latere dole of his saȝe limpeð to reclusen [a1250 Nero recluses].

1395 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 7 (MED) I bequethe to the Reclus frere Thomas..xl s. for to preye for my lordes soule.

c1450 (?c1425) St. Christina in Anglia (1885) 8 129 She lefte hir owne hous and kyndred &..dwellid nyne ȝeere with a womman reclused..Of þe whiche recluse I hadde many thinges þat I haue writen.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 893 Thys justis was done tofore the ermytayge where a recluse dwelled.

a1500 (a1450) Partonope of Blois (BL Add.) (1912) 10192 (MED) To hym it were a grete dele bette To be a recluse or elles a frere.

1528–30 tr. T. Littleton Tenures (new ed.) f. xxxvii^v Yf there be a recluse that he may not bycause of his order go out of his hous.

1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iii. sig. G^v I will not consent to haue you liue Like to a Recluse in a cloyster.

1683 J. Dryden & N. Lee Duke of Guise v. i. 71 This Night, my Lord, I'm a Recluse for ever.

a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 70 The dayly employment of these Recluses is to trim the Lamps.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Reclusion The Bishop having harangued the People in Praise of the new Recluse; he conducted her Processionally to her Reclusion.

1820 Q. Rev. 22 66 An assemblage of separate cells, each inhabited by a recluse.

1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist iii. §2. 152 He was clothed with the rough hairy garment worn by the recluse and the prophet.

1916 H. B. Workman Found. Mod. Relig. 197 The love of the saints, the desire to imitate the life of some famous recluse.

1986 D. Watkin Hist. Western Archit. iii. 88/1 The idea of the monk as hermit or recluse had gradually given way to the Benedictine concept.

2007 K. Uhalde Expectations Justice in Age of Augustine ii. 56 While living as a recluse in Chalcis, the monk was caught up in a schism.

b. gen. A person who lives a secluded life or has little contact with society. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] > person

anchorite?1614

solitarian1655

retirer1678

solitaire1716

recluse1751

solitarya1763

hermit1799

troglodyte1854

umbratile1888

cop-out1969

1701 R. Claridge Let. from Clergy-man in Country 3 I am not such an absolute Recluse, as to Cloyster my self wholly up from the Things of this World; for I admit of visits from particular Friends.

1748 J. Hervey Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 2) II. 49 The sprightly Morning, which awakens other Animals into Joy, administers no Pleasure to this gloomy Recluse [sc. the owl].

1751 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) III. 22 I don't think him deserving of her: he is a second son, a plain young man, a recluse in his nature, and very ignorant of the world.

1837 R. W. Emerson Oration before Phi Beta Kappa Soc. 12 There goes in the world a notion, that the scholar should be a recluse, a valetudinarian.

1894 Cent. Mag. June 244 Society lost its charms for him. He who had been a mondain now became almost a recluse.

1947 A. Huxley Let. 9 Mar. (1969) 568 I visualize him as a kind of philosophical recluse, who comments upon all that is happening from the vantage ground of eternity.

1976 J. Lees-Milne Diary 8 May in Through Wood & Dale (1998) 93 He has become a recluse and never leaves the Yorkshire rectory where he has dug himself in.

2005 Hotdog June 122/3 His achievements were offset by crippling mental illness..which saw him become a germ-obsessed recluse.

†c. With plural agreement (with the or other determiner). Recluse people in general. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 85/1 To disorder, or pollute the minds of the Recluse.

1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 85/1 Those Recluse who to Religion join the study of the liberal Arts.

1752 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 6 Jan. in Lett. to Son (1774) II. 204 See the air and manners of those Recluse, who are a distinct nation themselves, and like no other.

†2. That which is contained or enclosed in something; contents; store, accumulation. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [noun] > that which is within > contents

liningc1430

recluse?1440

content1526

supellex1553

furniture1612

gut1663

tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xii. 308 Baskettis of seggis..So they be thykke, and saue their recluse.

c1460 (?c1435) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 667 (MED) Of cros nor pyl ther is no reclus, Preent nor impressioun in al thy seyntuarye.

†3.

a. A place of seclusion; a hermitage. Also in extended use. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [noun]

wroa1300

recluse1474

reclusage1480

retreatc1500

retire1595

rendezvous1598

retirement1603

recess1611

shadea1616

Jericho1635

privacy1648

sequesterment1778

seclusion1791

retraite1814

backwater1820

hideaway1930

1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Play of Chess iii. xi He dyde do to be gyuen whilis he laye in his deth bedde to eche churche and recluse and to poure peple a certayn quantyte of moneye.

1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. v. 603/2 Commaundyng..that the dore of the recluse in whiche the sayd Matild was, should be opened.

1621 R. Brathwait Natures Embassie 86 Hast thou..No Refuge nor no Recluse for thy hope?

1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 281 Let our bosome (the recluse of Secrets) be like the Lions den in the Apologue.

1658 H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 208 Privacy,..the only recluse of safety,..may become as dangerous as a place of agency.

1720 J. Strype Stow's Surv. of London (rev. ed.) I. iii. xii. 232/1 Build her a Recluse or Ankorage.

1772 J. Wise Churches' Quarrel Espoused 65 It is certain, that the church of Christ is the..sacred recluse and peculiar assilum of religion.

b. A reservoir for water. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > constructed reservoir

recluse1593

conservera1614

reserver1615

conservatory1626

tank1634

reservatory1666

reservoir1686

kund1837

impounding reservoir1875

catch basin1884

spring box1887

tank1898

1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares 23 b Heere ebbe the spring-tide of my Teares, Eyes from this present, prepare your selues to be recluses.

†4. Reclusion; retirement. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun]

privity?c1225

reclusionc1430

abstractionc1450

recess?1532

privacy1534

solitariousness1545

retirea1554

secess1570

privatenessa1586

retirednessa1586

retirement1603

secrecy1607

closeness1612

shadow1612

privatea1616

recluseness1648

abstractednessa1653

recluse1665

abscondence1694

seclusion1785

seclusiveness1822

retiracy1824

secludedness1835

retraite1843

society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [noun] > life of

reclusionc1430

anchorism1573

anchoritism1660

recluse1665

hermitship1825

1665 G. Wither Medit. upon Lords Prayer Preamble This made me desirous to spend those days of recluse..in what might glorifie God.

5. = recluse spider n. at Compounds.

ΚΠ

1976 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 11 May 35/2 The Brown Recluse is at the border. The small, poisonous spider has been moving steadily northward from its home in the south-central United States.

1978 G. B. Williams Pest Extermination Handbk. vi. 68 When fully grown, the recluse is about 1½ inches long, the same size as the female black widow.

2002 L. White Essent. Maternal & Pediatric Nursing ii. viii. 238/2 The recluse bite is not fatal, but the ulcer may take months to heal.

†C. adv.

As a recluse; in a reclusive manner. Usually in to live recluse. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adverb]

in privity?c1225

in private1469

on private1582

monkishly1595

retiredly1599

recluse1612

reclusely1748

in seclusion1785

secludedly1837

en retraite1840

reclusively1845

upon the snug1861

to lie up1881

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist iv. i. sig. H4^v Such a feature That might stand vp the Glory of a Kingdome, To liue recluse? is a mere solæcisme, Though in a Nunnery.

1622 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster (new ed.) i. 9 A vertuous Court, to which your great ones may..retire, and liue recluse.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 156 The Women, both White and Black, are kept recluse.

1734 J. Gill & S. Wilson Serm. ɪ Tim. v. 17 23 in Mutual Duty Pastor & People They live recluse themselves, and with-hold more than is meet.

1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 252 I have liv'd recluse in rural shades.

1842 H. Taylor Edwin the Fair iii. viii. 164 We deemed it wise that this illustrious lady Should visit Chester, there to live recluse.

Compounds

recluse spider n. any of various venomous New World spiders of the genus Loxosceles (family Sicariidae) (also called violin spider); esp. (more fully brown recluse spider) L. reclusa of the south-eastern United States, which lives beneath logs or stones or in dark recesses in buildings.

ΚΠ

1962 Northwest Arkansas Times 4 Oct. 9/5 The University has received a $4,462 grant..to finance a study of the biology of the brown recluse spider.

2003 Guardian 6 Nov. (Life section) 7/1 The recluse spider produces venom so potent that it can inflict bites on humans that can require emergency treatment.

Derivatives

reˈcluse-like adj.

ΚΠ

1846 G. H. Francis in Fraser's Mag. Dec. 660/2 His [sc. Gladstone's] recluse-like air has been already mentioned.

1908 C. L. Kingsford in J. Stow Surv. of London I. xli Stow's attitude was not, however, due to any recluse-like absorption in books.

1946 E. Blunden Shelley xvii. 213 The fashionable round..did not prevent her from falling under the spell of the recluse-like Shelley.

1990 B. Wilson Social Dimensions of Sectarianism (1992) xi. 233 An account of Hubbard's..recluse-like existence in California.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	recluse
释义	recluseadj.n.adv. Brit. /rᵻˈkluːs/, U.S. /ˈrɛˌklus/, /rəˈklus/, /riˈklus/, /ˈrɛˌkluz/, /rəˈkluz/, /riˈkluz/ Forms: Middle English reclues, Middle English reclus, Middle English reclus (plural), Middle English rekles, Middle English– recluse, 1500s recluce; Scottish pre-1700 reclus, pre-1700 1700s– recluse. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French reclus. Etymology: Partly < Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French reclus (French reclus ) retired or secluded from society, especially as part of a religious discipline (12th cent. in Anglo-Norman), shut away (13th cent. in Anglo-Norman), reclusive (14th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), (noun) enclosed place, enclosure, prison, place of (especially religious) retreat (c1000), hermit, recluse, person who lives in solitude (13th cent.), uses as adjective and noun of reclus , past participle of reclure < classical Latin reclūdere reclude v., and partly < post-classical Latin reclusus secluded from the world (8th cent.), (noun) person secluded from the world, anchorite (6th cent.), prisoner (6th cent.), reclusa (feminine noun; also reclausa ) weir, sluice (10th cent.; 1367 in a British source), uses as adjective and noun of classical Latin reclusus , past participle of reclūdere reclude v. Compare Old Occitan reclus (13th cent.), Catalan reclús (14th cent.), Spanish recluso (15th cent.). A. adj. 1. a. In predicative use, or as postmodifier. Of a person: retired or secluded from society, esp. as part of a religious discipline. Also: confined as a prisoner. Now rare.In quot. ?c1225 as a metaphor with the notion of Christ in his mother's womb being ‘enclosed’ like an anchorite. ΘΚΠ society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [adjective] recluse?c1225 eremitic1483 eremitarya1492 eremitical1577 hermitical1586 eremitish1605 eremital1613 anchoretical1622 hermitary1633 anchoretal1656 anchoritic1661 hermitic1691 hermitish1812 society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adjective] > retired or secluded (of person) recluse?c1225 private1585 shadya1586 retired1590 umbraticala1637 sequestered1643 reclusive1749 umbratile1850 ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 277 Nes he [sc. Christ] him seolf reclus [a1400 Pepys bischett] in Marie wombe. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. 2817 An holy clerk reclus, Which full was of gostli vertus. c1410 tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 81 He lerned of a man recluse [?a1475 anon. tr. an incluse] þat in Wlcanes potte..þe soules of dede men were tormented. c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 42 (MED) Oure lord Jesu as recluse and stoken in his moderes wombe the space of nine monthes..abideth the dewe tyme of his birthe. a1475 in Anglia (1911) 34 263 (MED) I pray you to..procede Ayeinst the hert..that he be take anoon And put in prison there to be recluse. 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions iv. 15 As most beseeming him, which must liue among many and neuer be recluse. 1639 L. Lawrence tr. San Pedro de Diego Small Treat. betwixt Arnalte & Lucenda 107 He hath retird..; Alone sequester'd, most recluse, where he Dayly expects heart-easing Death to free Him. 1662 S. Pepys Diary 24 May (1970) III. 90 How recluse the Queene hath ever been, and all the voyage never came upon the deck. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 89. ⁋3 It..frequently happens that the most recluse are not the most vigorous prosecutors of study. 1799 C. B. Brown Ormond xi. 122 At all other times, he was obstinately recluse. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley III. i. 21 Beauty and affability had come in my way when I was recluse, desolate, young, and ignorant: a toil-worn governess perishing of uncheered labour. 1868 D. Masson Mem. in O. Goldsmith Misc. Wks. (1869) p. xxxvii Young was dying; Gray was recluse and indolent. 1950 F. B. Deknatel Edvard Munch 51 He was recluse, however, as..the many personal reminiscences published after his death testify. b. In attributive use in the same sense (usually denoting attachment to seclusion or retirement as a way of life). ΚΠ 1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. vii. i. f. 24^v One of the holy recluse Nuns..taught me a wholsome and holy prayer. 1679 J. Banks Destr. Troy iii. iii. 43 Deck you his Limbs with rich Embroideries By recluse Virgins of Religion, made. 1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 139. ⁋4 Falling into the Error which recluse Men are very subject to. 1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. xi. 340 He acquired..the qualities and passions of a recluse ecclesiastick. 1865 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire (new ed.) VIII. lxiv. 114 The fashion set by princes has more influence..than the example of recluse philosophers. 1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon l. 315 I care much more now for our recluse friend than I did before. 1952 M. Tripp Faith is Windsock iii. 37 They cursed the one-cinema town with shuttered windows and recluse inhabitants. 2003 S. White Album i. 15 A recluse artist today, a socialite ambassador of the arts tomorrow. †c. That has withdrawn or been shut off from public view, human intercourse, etc. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > [adjective] solec1407 separate1600 sequestereda1616 unconjunctive1643 recluse1656 separated1730 removed1766 insulated1781 stray1796 insulate1803 isolated1811 Robinson Crusoe1823 incommunicado1844 shut-out1853 isolate1854 marooned1883 cut-off1894 shut-away1911 shut-off1913 splitsville1964 1656 N. Hardy First Epist. John: 1st Pt. (i. 2) iv. 51 Things in the bosome are recluse from common view. a1681 R. Allestree Whole Duty Divine Medit. (1694) 10 Now the reason of the Privacy is this.., that we may be recluse from the Observation of all Mortals. 1708 J. Philips Cyder i. 23 I all the live-long Day Consume in Meditation deep, recluse From human Converse. 1789 Triumphs Fortitude I. 159 I resolved to keep myself as recluse from company as I could during my short stay. 1820 J. Chambers Poet. Wks. 141 Confine me in prison, recluse from man's sight. 1870 J. R. Lowell Cathedral 8 And I, recluse from playmates, found perforce Companionship in things. 2. Of a person's life, condition, character, etc.: characterized by seclusion or withdrawal from society, solitary. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adjective] reclusedc1443 quiet1507 withdrawing1576 secluse1597 reclusive1600 secluded1604 recluse1608 withdrawn?1615 sequestering1620 monastica1631 anchorite1639 solitousa1656 sequestered1658 snug1710 hermitish1812 anchoritish1823 umbratic1839 Garboesque1928 Garboic1937 1608 J. Wilson Eng. Martyrol. 55 Leading a most strict and seuere recluse life for the loue of God. 1650 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. (ed. 2) lxv. 102 in Epistolæ Ho-elianæ (ed. 2) One who by this recluse passive condition hath his share of this hideous storm. 1709 Tatler No. 32. ⁋4 A Lady who had writ a fine Book concerning the Recluse Life. 1797 T. Holcroft tr. F. L. Stolberg Trav. II. xl. 51 Their mode of living is exceedingly recluse and severe. 1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece V. ii. xlvi. 489 His private habits were sober and recluse. 1867 A. Barry Life & Wks. Sir C. Barry x. 329 Few men had less of a recluse character. 1960 F. W. Mote in A. F. Wright Confucian Persuasion 236 T'ao, it will be recalled, was thought of as a man forced into the recluse life by loyalty to a fallen dynasty. 2007 R. P. Setterdahl Just Between You, Me, & Fence Post xxxix. 180 Hypothetically, could Jesus have just lived a quiet and recluse life of 80 years or so? †3. Of a word or idea: recondite, esoteric. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [adjective] higheOE dighela1000 deepc1000 darkOE starkOE dusk?c1225 subtle1340 dimc1350 subtilea1393 covert1393 mystica1398 murka1400 cloudyc1400 hard?c1400 mistyc1400 unclearc1400 diffuse1430 abstractc1450 diffused?1456 exquisitec1460 obnubilous?a1475 obscure?a1475 covered1484 intricate?a1500 nice?a1500 perplexeda1500 difficilea1513 difficult1530 privy1532 smoky1533 secret1535 abstruse?1549 difficul1552 entangled1561 confounded1572 darksome1574 obnubilate1575 enigmatical1576 confuse1577 mysteriousa1586 Delphic1598 obfuscatea1600 enfumed1601 Delphicala1603 obstruse1604 abstracted1605 confused1611 questionable1611 inevident1614 recondite1619 cryptic1620 obfuscated1620 transcendent1624 Delphian1625 oraculous1625 enigmatic1628 recluse1629 abdite1635 undilucidated1635 clouded1641 benighted1647 oblite1650 researched1653 obnubilated1658 obscurative1664 tenebrose1677 hyperbyssal1691 condite1695 diffusive1709 profound1710 tenebricose1730 oracular1749 opaque1761 unenlightening1768 darkling1795 offuscating1798 unrecognizable1817 tough1820 abstrusive1848 obscurant1878 out-of-focus1891 unplumbable1895 inenubilable1903 non-transparent1939 1629 J. Lightfoot Erubhin xxvi. 79 So was Pythagoras circumcised, that he might haue accesse to the recluse misteries of the Aegyptians religion. 1693 W. Kennett Life Somner 62 in W. Somner Treat. Rom. Ports & Forts Kent This key to recluse and antiquated words, improv'd whatever of this nature had been done before. 1749 D. Hartley Observ. Man i. i. 39 This is a mere Supposition, and that of a very recluse Nature. a1770 M. Akenside Let. in Wks. (1867) p. lxxxiv Systems [is] too recluse and subtle a word. 4. a. Of a place: secluded, hidden from observation, isolated. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [adjective] secrec1374 blindc1386 privatea1513 secret?a1513 shadowy1555 close1571 retired1593 retrait1603 sequestrate1632 recessful1646 recluse1650 reserved1653 secessive1653 coy1670 sequestrated1726 slya1764 secluded1798 shy1841 retiracied1856 undisprivacied1870 madding1874 1650 R. Heath Clarastella 34 Let the foul witch laze in her smokie cel; Onely black toads in recluse vaults do dwel. 1669 A. Woodhead tr. Life St. Teresa (1671) ii. ii. 6 I was very much stomacked by all my Monastery, because I would erect another, more recluse. 1708 Brit. Apollo 7–12 May Those Limpid Streams retrieve their Heats, From Earth's recluse Sulphureous Seats. 1769 J. Hall-Stevenson Yorick's Sentimental Journey Continued IV. 73 The most recluse retreats..are constantly chosen for these oblations. 1825 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 19 Nov. 449 I never saw any inhabited places more recluse than these. 1895 J. F. Sachse German Pietists Provinc. Pennsylvania ii. 398 Two days later he departed from his humble recluse hut..to enter into the glorious palaces of his Redeemer. 2008 www.wildhorizonsafari.com 28 Jan. (O.E.D. Archive) We will meet our crew again having set up camp in a recluse spot in the bush. †b. Of a thing, action, etc.: hidden, secret, private. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [adjective] sundereOE privyc1300 close1393 private1472 soleinc1475 secret1528 retired1595 implicit1610 cabinet1611 underhanda1616 closet1639 umbratile1640 closeteda1649 curtain1661 recluse1673 snug1710 pocket1804 entre nous1806 underground1820 sub rosa1824 esoterical1850 esoteric1876 1673 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 8 6132 Of the Sensible Natures of Vegetables, as also of their more recluse Faculties and Powers. 1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. iv. iii. 129 I shall not expiate on these recluse Parts [of the ear]. 1783 J. Hoole tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso V. xliii. 99 When a husband, with too curious eye, Into his wife's recluser deeds would pry. B. n. 1. a. A person who is or has elected to be secluded or isolated from the world for the purpose of religious meditation, as a monk, nun, hermit, etc.; spec. a person who remains shut up in a cell under a vow of strict seclusion. ΘΚΠ society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [noun] anchorOE eremitec1200 recluse?c1225 hermitc1275 solitary1435 anchoritea1450 inclusec1460 anchorist1581 cremitt1624 mandrite1844 saint1888 ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 8 Þe latere dole of his saȝe limpeð to reclusen [a1250 Nero recluses]. 1395 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 7 (MED) I bequethe to the Reclus frere Thomas..xl s. for to preye for my lordes soule. c1450 (?c1425) St. Christina in Anglia (1885) 8 129 She lefte hir owne hous and kyndred &..dwellid nyne ȝeere with a womman reclused..Of þe whiche recluse I hadde many thinges þat I haue writen. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 893 Thys justis was done tofore the ermytayge where a recluse dwelled. a1500 (a1450) Partonope of Blois (BL Add.) (1912) 10192 (MED) To hym it were a grete dele bette To be a recluse or elles a frere. 1528–30 tr. T. Littleton Tenures (new ed.) f. xxxvii^v Yf there be a recluse that he may not bycause of his order go out of his hous. 1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iii. sig. G^v I will not consent to haue you liue Like to a Recluse in a cloyster. 1683 J. Dryden & N. Lee Duke of Guise v. i. 71 This Night, my Lord, I'm a Recluse for ever. a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 70 The dayly employment of these Recluses is to trim the Lamps. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Reclusion The Bishop having harangued the People in Praise of the new Recluse; he conducted her Processionally to her Reclusion. 1820 Q. Rev. 22 66 An assemblage of separate cells, each inhabited by a recluse. 1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist iii. §2. 152 He was clothed with the rough hairy garment worn by the recluse and the prophet. 1916 H. B. Workman Found. Mod. Relig. 197 The love of the saints, the desire to imitate the life of some famous recluse. 1986 D. Watkin Hist. Western Archit. iii. 88/1 The idea of the monk as hermit or recluse had gradually given way to the Benedictine concept. 2007 K. Uhalde Expectations Justice in Age of Augustine ii. 56 While living as a recluse in Chalcis, the monk was caught up in a schism. b. gen. A person who lives a secluded life or has little contact with society. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] > person anchorite?1614 solitarian1655 retirer1678 solitaire1716 recluse1751 solitarya1763 hermit1799 troglodyte1854 umbratile1888 cop-out1969 1701 R. Claridge Let. from Clergy-man in Country 3 I am not such an absolute Recluse, as to Cloyster my self wholly up from the Things of this World; for I admit of visits from particular Friends. 1748 J. Hervey Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 2) II. 49 The sprightly Morning, which awakens other Animals into Joy, administers no Pleasure to this gloomy Recluse [sc. the owl]. 1751 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) III. 22 I don't think him deserving of her: he is a second son, a plain young man, a recluse in his nature, and very ignorant of the world. 1837 R. W. Emerson Oration before Phi Beta Kappa Soc. 12 There goes in the world a notion, that the scholar should be a recluse, a valetudinarian. 1894 Cent. Mag. June 244 Society lost its charms for him. He who had been a mondain now became almost a recluse. 1947 A. Huxley Let. 9 Mar. (1969) 568 I visualize him as a kind of philosophical recluse, who comments upon all that is happening from the vantage ground of eternity. 1976 J. Lees-Milne Diary 8 May in Through Wood & Dale (1998) 93 He has become a recluse and never leaves the Yorkshire rectory where he has dug himself in. 2005 Hotdog June 122/3 His achievements were offset by crippling mental illness..which saw him become a germ-obsessed recluse. †c. With plural agreement (with the or other determiner). Recluse people in general. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 85/1 To disorder, or pollute the minds of the Recluse. 1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 85/1 Those Recluse who to Religion join the study of the liberal Arts. 1752 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 6 Jan. in Lett. to Son (1774) II. 204 See the air and manners of those Recluse, who are a distinct nation themselves, and like no other. †2. That which is contained or enclosed in something; contents; store, accumulation. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [noun] > that which is within > contents liningc1430 recluse?1440 content1526 supellex1553 furniture1612 gut1663 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xii. 308 Baskettis of seggis..So they be thykke, and saue their recluse. c1460 (?c1435) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 667 (MED) Of cros nor pyl ther is no reclus, Preent nor impressioun in al thy seyntuarye. †3. a. A place of seclusion; a hermitage. Also in extended use. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [noun] wroa1300 recluse1474 reclusage1480 retreatc1500 retire1595 rendezvous1598 retirement1603 recess1611 shadea1616 Jericho1635 privacy1648 sequesterment1778 seclusion1791 retraite1814 backwater1820 hideaway1930 1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Play of Chess iii. xi He dyde do to be gyuen whilis he laye in his deth bedde to eche churche and recluse and to poure peple a certayn quantyte of moneye. 1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. v. 603/2 Commaundyng..that the dore of the recluse in whiche the sayd Matild was, should be opened. 1621 R. Brathwait Natures Embassie 86 Hast thou..No Refuge nor no Recluse for thy hope? 1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 281 Let our bosome (the recluse of Secrets) be like the Lions den in the Apologue. 1658 H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 208 Privacy,..the only recluse of safety,..may become as dangerous as a place of agency. 1720 J. Strype Stow's Surv. of London (rev. ed.) I. iii. xii. 232/1 Build her a Recluse or Ankorage. 1772 J. Wise Churches' Quarrel Espoused 65 It is certain, that the church of Christ is the..sacred recluse and peculiar assilum of religion. b. A reservoir for water. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > constructed reservoir recluse1593 conservera1614 reserver1615 conservatory1626 tank1634 reservatory1666 reservoir1686 kund1837 impounding reservoir1875 catch basin1884 spring box1887 tank1898 1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares 23 b Heere ebbe the spring-tide of my Teares, Eyes from this present, prepare your selues to be recluses. †4. Reclusion; retirement. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] privity?c1225 reclusionc1430 abstractionc1450 recess?1532 privacy1534 solitariousness1545 retirea1554 secess1570 privatenessa1586 retirednessa1586 retirement1603 secrecy1607 closeness1612 shadow1612 privatea1616 recluseness1648 abstractednessa1653 recluse1665 abscondence1694 seclusion1785 seclusiveness1822 retiracy1824 secludedness1835 retraite1843 society > faith > church government > monasticism > anchorite > [noun] > life of reclusionc1430 anchorism1573 anchoritism1660 recluse1665 hermitship1825 1665 G. Wither Medit. upon Lords Prayer Preamble This made me desirous to spend those days of recluse..in what might glorifie God. 5. = recluse spider n. at Compounds. ΚΠ 1976 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 11 May 35/2 The Brown Recluse is at the border. The small, poisonous spider has been moving steadily northward from its home in the south-central United States. 1978 G. B. Williams Pest Extermination Handbk. vi. 68 When fully grown, the recluse is about 1½ inches long, the same size as the female black widow. 2002 L. White Essent. Maternal & Pediatric Nursing ii. viii. 238/2 The recluse bite is not fatal, but the ulcer may take months to heal. †C. adv. As a recluse; in a reclusive manner. Usually in to live recluse. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [adverb] in privity?c1225 in private1469 on private1582 monkishly1595 retiredly1599 recluse1612 reclusely1748 in seclusion1785 secludedly1837 en retraite1840 reclusively1845 upon the snug1861 to lie up1881 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist iv. i. sig. H4^v Such a feature That might stand vp the Glory of a Kingdome, To liue recluse? is a mere solæcisme, Though in a Nunnery. View more context for this quotation 1622 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster (new ed.) i. 9 A vertuous Court, to which your great ones may..retire, and liue recluse. 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 156 The Women, both White and Black, are kept recluse. 1734 J. Gill & S. Wilson Serm. ɪ Tim. v. 17 23 in Mutual Duty Pastor & People They live recluse themselves, and with-hold more than is meet. 1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 252 I have liv'd recluse in rural shades. 1842 H. Taylor Edwin the Fair iii. viii. 164 We deemed it wise that this illustrious lady Should visit Chester, there to live recluse. Compounds recluse spider n. any of various venomous New World spiders of the genus Loxosceles (family Sicariidae) (also called violin spider); esp. (more fully brown recluse spider) L. reclusa of the south-eastern United States, which lives beneath logs or stones or in dark recesses in buildings. ΚΠ 1962 Northwest Arkansas Times 4 Oct. 9/5 The University has received a $4,462 grant..to finance a study of the biology of the brown recluse spider. 2003 Guardian 6 Nov. (Life section) 7/1 The recluse spider produces venom so potent that it can inflict bites on humans that can require emergency treatment. Derivatives reˈcluse-like adj. ΚΠ 1846 G. H. Francis in Fraser's Mag. Dec. 660/2 His [sc. Gladstone's] recluse-like air has been already mentioned. 1908 C. L. Kingsford in J. Stow Surv. of London I. xli Stow's attitude was not, however, due to any recluse-like absorption in books. 1946 E. Blunden Shelley xvii. 213 The fashionable round..did not prevent her from falling under the spell of the recluse-like Shelley. 1990 B. Wilson Social Dimensions of Sectarianism (1992) xi. 233 An account of Hubbard's..recluse-like existence in California. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022). reclusev. Brit. /rᵻˈkluːs/, U.S. /rəˈklus/, /riˈklus/, /rəˈkluz/, /riˈkluz/ Forms: Middle English reclus (past participle), Middle English recluse (past participle), Middle English– recluse. Origin: Perhaps of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Perhaps also partly formed within English, by conversion. Etymons: French reclus , reclure ; Latin reclūs- , reclūdere ; recluse n. Etymology: Partly < Middle French reclus (feminine recluse), past participle of reclure (c1000 in Old French; < classical Latin reclūdere reclude v.), and partly < classical Latin reclūs-, past participial stem of reclūdere reclude v. In later use perhaps also partly < recluse n. Compare Old Occitan recluire , Spanish recluir (15th cent.), Italian recludere (14th cent.). Compare reclude v. transitive. To confine, shut up, or seclude; = reclude v. Also reflexive. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > seclude [verb (transitive)] reclusea1400 sequesterc1430 withdrawa1450 sequestrate1513 solitary1581 reclude1598 seclude1629 bury1711 recess1795 backwater1885 society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restraint depriving of liberty > confinement > confine [verb (transitive)] beloukOE loukOE sparc1175 pena1200 bepen?c1225 pind?c1225 prison?c1225 spearc1300 stopc1315 restraina1325 aclosec1350 forbara1375 reclosea1382 ward1390 enclose1393 locka1400 reclusea1400 pinc1400 sparc1430 hamperc1440 umbecastc1440 murea1450 penda1450 mew?c1450 to shut inc1460 encharter1484 to shut up1490 bara1500 hedge1549 hema1552 impound1562 strain1566 chamber1568 to lock up1568 coop1570 incarcerate1575 cage1577 mew1581 kennel1582 coop1583 encagea1586 pound1589 imprisonc1595 encloister1596 button1598 immure1598 seclude1598 uplock1600 stow1602 confine1603 jail1604 hearse1608 bail1609 hasp1620 cub1621 secure1621 incarcera1653 fasten1658 to keep up1673 nun1753 mope1765 quarantine1804 peg1824 penfold1851 encoop1867 oubliette1884 jigger1887 corral1890 maroon1904 to bang up1950 to lock down1971 a1400 W. Langland Piers Plowman (Corpus Cambr.) (1873) C. v. l. 116 Be reclusid [a1425 London Univ. be reclus; c1400 Huntington HM 137 Red me nat..no reuthe to haue, Til..religious out-ryders reclused in here cloistres]. 1450 Rolls of Parl. V. 195/2 The Priours or Convent of the Howses and places.., in which eny Nonnes are reclused. a1500 in Antiquary (1901) 37 54 (MED) This tyrant..made her to be reclusyd in prison ix Dayes. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. GGiiii Being reclused or shut vp in a derke prison. a1631 J. Donne Annunciation & Passion in Poems (1654) 333 She sees..the Virgin mother stay Reclus'd at home. 1657 J. Trapp Comm. Neh. vi. 10 A house he had in the Temple: and there he had reclused and shut up himself. 1713 Countess of Winchilsea Misc. Poems 95 From speech restrain'd, by thy deceits abus'd, To Desarts banish'd, or in Cells reclus'd. 1739 T. Rowe Elegies on Mrs. Rowe in E. S. Rowe Misc. Wks. I. p. cxxiv Reclus'd from all the world, and worldly care, Thy life's sole bus'ness charity and pray'r. 1899 Amer. Jrnl. Soc. 4 559 A considerable class of criminals..belong to the dependent or dangerous classes, and these should be reclused. 1929 Sci. Monthly June 552/2 Mistaken votaries to the powers divine..banished to deserts or reclused in cells. 2004 V. Patten Somewhere Every Day 13 She had reclused herself for two weeks in her bedroom. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.adv.?c1225v.a1400
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recluseadj.n.adv.

Compounds

Derivatives

reclusev.