Monasticism

Another fascinating word for me from Britannica:

"The word monasticism is derived from the Greek monachos (“living alone”), but this etymology highlights only one of the elements of monasticism and is somewhat misleading, because a large proportion of the world’s monastics live in cenobitic (common life) communities. The term monasticism implies celibacy, or living alone in the sense of lacking a spouse, which became a socially and historically crucial feature of the monastic life."

How I wish I had a chance as a kid to try this life out. Boarding schools are very poor imitations of this kind of life. The article from which the quote is taken gives a brief overview of monasticism in different religions.