Online Etymology Dictionary (etyemology):

eremite (ER-uh-myt) noun

A recluse or hermit, especially a religious recluse.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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n : a Christian recluse [ant: cenobite]

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University