Nun vs. Laywoman — What's the Difference?

A nun is a member of a religious community of women, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery. Communities of nuns exist in numerous religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism, and Taoism.

A woman who is not a cleric.

A member of a religious community of women, typically one living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

A woman who is a nonprofessional in a given field.

Any of a number of birds whose plumage resembles a nun's habit, especially an Asian mannikin.

A woman who is a layperson, one who has not taken a religious oath (such as becoming a nun).

A woman who belongs to a religious order or congregation devoted to active service or meditation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

(by extension) A woman who is not a professional in a given field.

The 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. See Table at alphabet.

A member of a Christian religious community of women who live by certain vows and usually wear a habit, those living together in a cloister.

(by extension) A member of a similar female community in other confessions.

A prostitute.

A kind of pigeon with the feathers on its head like the hood of a nun.

The fourteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).

A woman devoted to a religious life, who lives in a convent, under the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

A white variety of domestic pigeons having a veil of feathers covering the head.

The 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, corresponding in pronunciation to n.

The 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet, corresponding in pronunciation to n.

A woman religious

A buoy resembling a cone

The 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet