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claustro

cloister

noun KLOWS-troh Rare
Arts & Culture Visual Arts

Origin: From Latin claustrum (enclosed space, lock).

Also means

academic senate

Usage Note

Claustro has two distinct uses: in architecture it is the arcaded courtyard of a monastery, convent, or cathedral; in Spanish universities it is the governing body of academic staff (claustro de profesores), equivalent to the 'senate' or 'faculty assembly'. Context makes the sense clear. The adjective claustral relates to either sense.

Examples

"Los monjes paseaban en silencio por el claustro."

Natural Translation

The monks walked in silence through the cloister.

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