Definitions of cloister:

  • noun:   a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions)
  • noun:   residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
  • verb:   surround with a cloister, as of a garden
  • verb:   seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister
    Example: "She cloistered herself in the office"