ermite

Ermite is the French noun meaning hermit, a person who chooses a solitary life, often for religious or ascetic reasons. In traditional usage, an ermite withdraws from society to devote time to prayer, study, or contemplation, sometimes living in forests, deserts, or remote dwellings. The term is associated with Christian eremitism, the practice of living as a solitary ascetic, distinct from monastic communities, though some hermits later joined or influenced monastic life. In contemporary French, ermite can also be used metaphorically to describe someone who withdraws from social or public life.

Etymology: The word comes from Latin eremita, from Greek eremites, from eremos meaning desert or solitude. It entered French via Latin and Old French in the medieval period.

See also: The English equivalent is hermit. The word Hermite (with an h) is a surname and name of various places; in mathematics, Hermite refers to the French mathematician Charles Hermite and the associated Hermite polynomials, not to be confused with the French noun ermite.