Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Monk \Monk\, n. [AS. munuc, munec, munc, L. monachus, Gr. ?, fr.
   ? alone. Cf. {Monachism}.]
   1. A man who retires from the ordinary temporal concerns of
      the world, and devotes himself to religion; one of a
      religious community of men inhabiting a monastery, and
      bound by vows to a life of chastity, obedience, and
      poverty. ``A monk out of his cloister.'' --Chaucer.

            Monks in some respects agree with regulars, as in
            the substantial vows of religion; but in other
            respects monks and regulars differ; for that
            regulars, vows excepted, are not tied up to so
            strict a rule of life as monks are.   --Ayliffe.

   2. (Print.) A blotch or spot of ink on a printed page, caused
      by the ink not being properly distributed. It is
      distinguished from a friar, or white spot caused by a
      deficiency of ink.

   3. A piece of tinder made of agaric, used in firing the
      powder hose or train of a mine.

   4. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) A South American monkey ({Pithecia monachus}); also
          applied to other species, as {Cebus xanthocephalus}.
      (b) The European bullfinch.

   {Monk bat} (Zo["o]l.), a South American and West Indian bat
      ({Molossus nasutus}); -- so called because the males live
      in communities by themselves.

   {Monk bird}(Zo["o]l.), the friar bird.

   {Monk seal} (Zo["o]l.), a species of seal ({Monachus
      albiventer}) inhabiting the Black Sea, the Mediterranean
      Sea, and the adjacent parts of the Atlantic.

   {Monk's rhubarb} (Bot.), a kind of dock; -- also called
      {patience} ({Rumex Patientia}).

Source : WordNet®

monk
     n 1: a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself
          to contemplation and prayer and work [syn: {monastic}]
     2: United States jazz pianist who was one of the founders of
        the bebop style (1917-1982) [syn: {Thelonious Monk}, {Thelonious
        Sphere Monk}]