convent

See also: Convent

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English convent, variant of covent, from Old French covent, from Latin conventus, perfect participle of the verb convenio (whence ultimately convene), see con- + venio. Doublet of coven.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.vɛnt/, /ˈkɒn.vənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑn.vɛnt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧vent

Noun

convent (plural convents)

2. A religious community whose members live under strict observation of religious rules and self-imposed vows.

   Hypernym: community

   Hyponyms: nunnery (chiefly female), friary (chiefly male), monastery (chiefly male), ribat (Sufi or Islamic and female)

   Near-synonym: abbey

   • 1972, Jay Presson Allen, Cabaret, spoken by Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli):

     My God! It's enough to drive a girl into a convent! Do they have Jewish nuns?

4. The buildings and pertaining surroundings in which such a community lives.

   Hypernyms: residence, home

   Hyponyms: nunnery (chiefly female), friary (chiefly male), monastery (chiefly male), ribat (Sufi or Islamic and female)

   • 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     One seldom finds in Italy a spot of ground more agreeable than ordinary that is not covered with a convent.

   2. (now especially) Synonym of nunnery, a female religious community and its residence.
5. (India) A Christian school.
6. A gathering of people lasting several days for the purpose of discussing or working on topics previously selected.
7. A coming together; a meeting.
   • 1609, Ben Jonson, The Masque of Queens:

     ...an usual ceremony at their [the witches'] convents or meetings...

Derived terms

• convent school
• Convent Station

Related terms

• convenance
• convene
• convenient
• conventicle
• convention
• covenant
• Covent Garden
• covin

Translations

religious community of especially nuns

• Arabic: دير (للراهبات) m (dayr (li-r-rāhibāt)), رهبنة نسوي f (rahbana niswī)
• Bulgarian: мето́х (bg) m (metóh)
• Catalan: convent (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女修道院 (zh) (nǔ xiūdàoyuàn), 庵堂 (zh) (āntáng) (generally Buddhist), 尼姑庵 (zh) (nígū'ān) (generally Buddhist)

• Danish: kloster (da) n, nonnekloster (da) n (for nuns), munkekloster (da) n (for monks)
• Dutch: nonnenklooster (nl) n
• Finnish: konventti (fi), nunnaluostari (fi)
• French: couvent (fr) m
• Georgian: მონასტერი (monasṭeri)
• German: Kloster (de) n, Nonnenkloster (de) n
• Hungarian: zárda (hu) sg
• Irish: clochar m
• Italian: convento (it) m
• Latin: coenobium n, monastērium n (monachārum), conventus (la) m (4th declension)
• Macedonian: же́нски ма́настир m (žénski mánastir)
• Malay: konven
• Māori: whare none
• Middle English: covent
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kloster (no) n, nonnekloster n (for nuns)

  Nynorsk: kloster n, nonnekloster n (for nuns)

• Old English: nunnhīrēd m, nunnmynster n, wīfhīrēd m
• Polish: konwent (pl) m, klasztor (żeński) m
• Portuguese: convento (pt) m
• Romanian: mănăstire (de maici) f
• Russian: же́нский монасты́рь m (žénskij monastýrʹ)
• Spanish: convento (es) m
• Swahili: konventi (sw)
• Swedish: nunnekloster (sv) n (for nuns), kloster (sv) n
• Tagalog: kumbento
• Tocharian B: tsāro

building

• Catalan: convent (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 修道院 (zh) (xiūdàoyuàn)

• Czech: klášter (cs) m
• Danish: kloster (da) n, nonnekloster (da) n (for nuns), munkekloster (da) n (for monks)
• Finnish: konventti (fi), nunnaluostari (fi)
• Macedonian: ма́настир (mk) m (mánastir)
• Middle English: covent
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kloster (no) n, nonnekloster n

  Nynorsk: kloster n, nonnekloster n

• Persian: صومعه (fa) (sovme'e)
• Portuguese: convento (pt) m
• Russian: монасты́рь (ru) m (monastýrʹ)
• Slovak: kláštor (sk) m
• Spanish: convento (es) m

gathering

• Finnish: konventti (fi), kokous (fi)
• Macedonian: собир m (sobir)
• Middle English: covent
• Polish: konwent (pl) m
• Portuguese: convenção (pt) f
• Russian: съезд (ru) m (sʺjezd), слёт (ru) m (sljot), конве́нт (ru) m (konvént)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} couvent (fr) m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Konvent m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} konvent (sv)

See also

• commune
• rectory
• seminary

Etymology 2

From Latin convenio (past participle conventus), whence also convene; so of the same ultimate origin as Etymology 1.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈvɛnt/
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Verb

convent (third-person singular simple present convents, present participle conventing, simple past and past participle convented)

1. (obsolete) To call before a judge or judicature; to summon; to convene.
   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], line 52:

     Tomorrow morning to the Council board
     He be convented.

2. (obsolete) To meet together; to concur.
   • 1613–1614, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, “The Two Noble Kinsmen”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     We convent nought else but woes

3. (obsolete) To be convenient; to serve.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], line 379:

     When that is known and golden time convents.

Anagrams

• convnet

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin conventus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kumˈben]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [koɱˈvent]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

convent m (plural convents)

1. convent (building)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch convent, from Old French convent, from Latin conventus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔnˈvɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧vent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

convent n (plural conventen, no diminutive)

1. (Christianity) convent, monastery

   Synonym: klooster

2. (obsolete) meeting, gathering, convention

Related terms

• conventikel

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin conventus. See also the doublet couvent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.vɑ̃/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

convent m (plural convents)

1. (archaic, rare) convent, nunnery

Related terms

• convention

Further reading

• “convent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle English

Noun

convent

1. (Late Middle English) alternative form of covent