convent

Noun

convent (plural convents)

1. A religious community whose members, (especially nuns) live under strict observation of religious rules and self-imposed vows
2. the buildings and pertaining surroundings in which such a community lives
3. a gathering of people lasting several days which come from different regions of a country or even the world for the purpose of discussing or working on topics previously selected

Related terms

• convenance
• convene
• convenient
• conventicle
• convention

A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion. In modern English usage, "convent" almost invariably refers to a community of women, while "monastery," "priory" or "friary" are used for men; but in historical usage they are often interchangeable.

Technically, a "monastery" is a community of monastics, whereas a "convent" is a community of mendicants ("friary" specifying a male community specifically), and a "canonry" a community of canons [regular]. The terms "abbey" and "priory" can be applied to both monasteries and canonries and distinguish those headed by an Abbot from the lesser dependent houses headed by a Prior.