'anchoress' originates from Middle English, specifically from the word 'anchoresse', which is the feminine form of 'anchorite', where 'anchorite' meant 'one who withdraws'.

'anchoresse' was used in Middle English to refer specifically to a female religious recluse, and eventually became the modern English word 'anchoress'.

Initially, it meant 'a woman living in religious seclusion', and this meaning has remained unchanged in modern usage.