abbess

American  

[ab-is] / ˈæb ɪs /

noun

1. a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns.

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abbess British  

/ ˈæbɪs /

noun

1. the female superior of a convent

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Gender

What's the difference between abbess and abbot? See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of abbess

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English abbesse from Old French abbesse, abaesse from Late Latin abbātissa, feminine of abbās abbot; replacing Middle English abbatisse from Late Latin; in turn replacing Old English abadisse, abbodesse (compare Old High German abbatissa ) from unattested Late Latin ab(b)adissa for abbātissa

Explanation

An abbess is the head of a group of nuns. Typically, a woman has been a nun for many years before becoming an abbess. In the Catholic church, the male superior of monks is called an abbot. The female equivalent is an abbess, who's kind of the boss of the nuns at an abbey (which simply means "place where monks or nuns live"). We can trace this word all the way back to the Aramaic abba, an honorific title that means "the father" or "my father."

Related Words

• sister