'anchoress' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'anchoresse', which came from Old French 'ancresse', ultimately from Medieval Latin 'anchoreta', where 'anachoreta' meant 'one who has retired from the world'.

'anchoress' changed from the Old French word 'ancresse' and Medieval Latin 'anchoreta', and eventually became the modern English word 'anchoress'.

Initially, it meant 'a woman who has retired from the world for religious reasons', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.