anchorite /AYN-kər-iyt/ /ˈaŋkərʌɪt/. noun or adjective. Someone who has withdrawn or secluded themselves from the world, usually for religious reasons. A recluse; a person of solitary habits. From Greek anakhoretes (one who has retired), from anakhorein (to retreat, retire), from ana (back) + khorein (withdraw). See also: ascetic, hermit, loner, solitarian.
“As a mongrel anchorite he could not bear the heat of the house, or the way the TV seemed to attack you like a barking dog, or to sleep within the dank scent of heating oil.” (Jim Harrison)
“Holy men and anchorites have long found in the upper world of the mountains an environment more conducive to contemplation than the secular bustle of the lowlands.” (Robert Macfarlane)
“That is the delusion of the anchorite—a delusion in which the man forgets the rights of others for the sake of his own sanctity.” (George MacDonald)