Etymograph

English

convent

Convent comes from Latin conventus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconventus1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400covent1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500convent1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1609convent1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English convent
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1609, Ben Jonson: “...an usual ceremony at their [the witches'] convents or…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconventusWiktionary, English convent
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400coventWiktionary, English convent
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conventWiktionary, English convent
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1609conventWiktionary, English convent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1609, Ben Jonson: “...an usual ceremony at their [the witches'] convents or…”

Linked words

through Latin conventus

covent, 2 more

through Old French covent

coven, 1 more

Today it means

noun A religious community whose members live under strict observation of religious rules and self-imposed vows.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “convent”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin conventus / convent

Shirt and support for this word