An archaic spelling variant of hermit, referring to a person who lives alone in seclusion, typically for religious reasons.
From Old French 'hermite,' derived from Latin 'eremita,' from Greek 'eremites' (desert dweller); the 'h' was often silent or dropped in medieval English, creating variants like 'ermit.'
Medieval spelling was wild—'ermit' and 'hermit' were both used for the same person, but 'ermit' died out while 'hermit' survived, showing how random spelling choices determine which words stick around.
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