el claustro
cloister
Lugar dentro de un convento, monasterio o colegio que tiene un patio rodeado de pasillos con columnas, donde las personas suelen pasear o descansar.
Definition & meaning
Claustro is a masculine Spanish noun: el claustro, plural los claustros.
It has several related meanings:
-
Cloister: a covered walkway surrounding the inner courtyard of a monastery, convent, or sometimes a cathedral.
- El claustro del monasterio es del siglo XII. — “The monastery cloister dates from the twelfth century.”
-
The enclosed courtyard or architectural complex associated with such a walkway.
- Los visitantes pasearon por el claustro. — “The visitors walked through the cloister.”
-
Faculty or teaching staff at a university or school, especially as a collective body.
- El claustro de profesores aprobó la propuesta. — “The teaching staff approved the proposal.”
-
A faculty meeting or governing academic body.
- La decisión debe ser debatida en el claustro. — “The decision must be debated by the faculty council.”
In the expression claustro materno “the mother’s womb,” the word is used figuratively to refer to the protected, enclosed space in which a fetus develops.
Grammar & Word origin
- Gender: masculine
- Singular: el claustro
- Plural: los claustros
- Pronunciation: approximately KLOW-stro
The word comes from Latin claustrum, meaning “enclosure,” “barrier,” or “closed place,” from claudere, “to close.” This origin explains both the architectural meaning and the figurative academic meaning: a group of people enclosed or united within an institution.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
For the architectural meaning:
- claustro monástico — “monastic cloister,” more specific than claustro.
- galería — “gallery” or “covered passage”; broader and not necessarily religious.
- patio porticado — “arcaded courtyard”; emphasizes the courtyard structure rather than the religious setting.
For the academic meaning:
- profesorado — “teaching staff” or “faculty”; usually refers to the teachers themselves, whereas claustro can also mean the faculty body or its meeting.
- cuerpo docente — “teaching body”; a formal collective term for teachers.
- consejo académico — “academic council”; emphasizes the governing or decision-making function.
There is no single exact antonym for claustro. Depending on the context, contrasting terms may include:
- exterior — “outside” or “exterior,” contrasting with an enclosed cloister.
- espacio abierto — “open space,” contrasting with an enclosed architectural area.
- alumnado — “student body,” contrasting with claustro when the latter means teaching staff.
Common phrases & collocations
- claustro de profesores — teaching staff; faculty
- claustro universitario — university faculty or governing academic body
- reunión del claustro — faculty meeting
- claustro de una catedral — cathedral cloister
- claustro románico — Romanesque cloister
- claustro materno — mother’s womb; literally, “maternal enclosure”
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Examples
El claustro es muy grande.noun
The cloister is very large.
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