convent

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnv(ə)nt/

noun

  • a Christian community of nuns living together under monastic vows: Maria entered the convent at the age of eighteen
  • (also convent school) a school attached to and run by a convent.
  • the building or buildings occupied by a convent: the long windy path behind the convent

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French, from Latin conventus 'assembly, company', from the verb convenire (see convene). The original spelling was covent (surviving in the place name Covent Garden); the modern form dates from the 16th century