recluse

/ˈre-ˌklüs/

Middle English, from Anglo-French reclus, literally, shut away, from Late Latin reclusus, past participle of recludere to shut up, from Latin re- + claudere to close

adjective

  1. marked by withdrawal from society : solitary

noun

  1. a person who leads a secluded or solitary life

noun

  1. a venomous spider (Loxosceles reclusa) especially of the southern and central U.S. that has a violin-shaped mark on the cephalothorax and produces a dangerous cytotoxin which can cause necrotic lesions