Arecluse is a person who lives in voluntaryseclusion andsolitude. The word is from theLatinrecludere, which means 'to open' or 'disclose'.
Examples of recluses areSymeon of Trier, who lived within the great Roman gatePorta Nigra with permission from theArchbishop of Trier, orTheophan the Recluse, a 19th-centuryOrthodox Christian monk who was later venerated as asaint. Many celebrated figures of human history have spent significant portions of their lives as recluses.
In theEastern Orthodox,Eastern Lutheran andEastern Catholic traditions of Christianity, aPoustinik is a temporaryhermit who has been called topray andfast alone in a cabin for at least 24 hours.
In ancient Chinese culture,scholars are encouraged to be a public servant in a scrupulous and well-run government but expected to go into reclusion as ayinshi (隐士, 'gentleman-in-hiding') when the government is rife with corruption.[1] Others, likeDongfang Shuo, became hermits to practiceTaoism, or in later centuries,Chan Buddhism.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Porter, Noah, ed. (1913). "Recluse".Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.
