Hermit

hėr′mit, n. one who retires from society and lives in solitude or in the desert for purposes of devotion: one of certain animals of solitary habit.— ns. Her′mitāge , Her′mitary , the dwelling of a hermit: a retired abode: a wine produced near Valence, in Drôme; Her′mit-crab , the name of a family of crustaceans notable for their habit of sheltering themselves in gasteropod shells.— adj. Hermit′ical , relating to a hermit. [M. E. eremite , through Fr. and L. from Gr. erēmitēs — erēmos , solitary.]