English Explanatory Dictionary

coenobium

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A conventual or monastic community; also, a convent or monastery.
  2. A fruit of a plant from either of the families Boraginaceae (the borages) or Lamiaceae which has small loculi or compartments, reminiscent of the cells in a convent or monastery.
  3. A colony of algae which acts as a single organism; a coenobe.
  4. A colony of unicellular organisms (such as protozoa) which acts as a single organism.

Pronunciation

/siːˈnəʊ.bɪ.əm/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-cenobium.wav /siˈnoʊ.bi.əm/ /siːˈnəʊ.bɪ.ə/ /siˈnoʊ.bi.ə/

Word forms

coenobium coenobiums coenobia caenobium cenobium cœnobium

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin coenobium (“cloister, convent; monastery”), from Koine Greek κοινόβιον (koinóbion, “life in community; monastery”), the neuter form of κοινόβιος (koinóbios, “communal living”), from Ancient Greek κοινός (koinós, “common, shared”) + βίος (bíos, “life”). Doublet of coenoby. The plural form coenobia is borrowed from Late Latin coenobia.

Synonyms

cenoby coenoby

Related words

cenobiac cenobiarch cœnobiarch cenobite coenobite cœnobite cenobitical coenobitical cœnobitical cenobitically coenobitically cœnobitically cenobitic coenibitic cœnobitic cenobitism coenobitism cœnobitism cenoby coenoby cœnoby coeno- cœno- coen- ceno- cen- slime mold

Derived words

coenobial cœnobial coenobian cœnobian coenobiar cœnobiar coenobioid cœnobioid
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