Trappists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Members of a Roman Catholic monastic order of the Cistercians known for strict observance of silence and austerity ; persons belonging to a religious community following a contemplative and ascetic lifestyle with vows of silence and self-denial ; individuals devoted to a monastic way of life emphasizing prayer, manual labor, and simplicity within a particular Catholic order
2. Followers of a monastic Catholic community practicing rigorous discipline, silence, and poverty ; monks or nuns living under austere conditions dedicated to prayer and labor ; members of a religious order distinguished by strict adherence to silence, solitude, and simplicity
3. Devotees of a monastic order committed to strict religious observance, including silence and manual labor ; participants in a Cistercian religious community emphasizing austerity and contemplative practices ; persons who live in a cloistered, disciplined environment that fosters prayer, work, and silence

Etymology: The name traces back to a single building. La Trappe was a Cistercian abbey in Normandy, in the French village of Soligny-la-Trappe, and the word "Trappist" is formed from the name of that abbey. Monks who followed the stricter reform practised there became known by the place's name, so a monastery's address ended up naming an entire order of people. The plural "trappists" therefore refers to the monks and nuns of that reformed branch of the Cistercians, though the same word has come to describe anyone living by the same disciplines of silence, manual labour and prayer. The French form "trappiste" was the immediate source for English, so the English noun is a borrowing from French rather than something built from scratch in English.

Synonyms: monks, monastics, monastic order, Cistercians, monks of La Trappe