Earlier term for monastery or other religious building (6)
I believe the answer is:
priory
'religious building' is the definition.
'earlier term for monastery' is the wordplay.
'earlier' becomes 'prior' (synonyms).
'term for' suggests the final letters (the letter which terminates the word).
The final letter of 'monastery' is 'y'.
'prior'+'y'='PRIORY'
'or other' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for priory that I've seen before include "in earlier years" , "Religious house of monks or nuns" , "Convent subject to an abbey" , "Religious residence" , "where all men are brothers?" .)