means A building or community where monks live together under religious vows, devoting their days to prayer, work, and shared discipline.

from From Greek 'monastērion,' a place to live alone, built on 'monos' meaning 'single' or 'solitary' — the same root that gives us 'monk' and 'monopoly.' The irony is built into the word: it names solitude but describes a crowd. The term passed through Late Latin 'monasterium' and into Old English before settling into its modern shape, the lone hermit's cell having quietly grown into a whole village of them.