abbé
noun
(especially in France)
abbé
American
[a-bay, ab-ay, a -bay]
/ æˈbeɪ, ˈæb eɪ, aˈbeɪ /
noun
-
abbés
plural
abbé
1
British
/ abe, ˈæbeɪ /
noun
-
a French abbot
-
a title used in addressing any other French cleric, such as a priest
Abbe
2
British
/ ˈaːbə, ˈæbɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of abbé
First recorded in 1520–30; from French, Middle French, from Late Latin abbāte(m), accusative of abbās abbot
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Morse got most of this story from a book written by a Scottish academic named John Robison, who in turn took many of his ideas from the abbé de Barruel, a French priest.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2022
He even took minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church in 1865, becoming an abbé but appropriately stopping short of the vow of chastity.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2011
This smoothness has perhaps a slight tinge of the priestly—for, as Renan first studied for the priesthood, so Dupont-Sommer was once an abbé.
From The New Yorker ● May 6, 1955
His friend, Monsieur Le Roy, of the Royal Academy of Sciences, took up his cause, and refuted the abbé.
From The Life of Benjamin Franklin Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and Anecdotes by Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold) Goodrich
The abbé spoke some words to Voltaire, exhorting him to patience.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 7 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Robert Green Ingersoll
By entering the plea, Bolton “did what real leaders do,” his lawyer Abbe Lowell said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Lemon was in Los Angeles to cover the upcoming Grammy Awards when he was apprehended in a hotel lobby late Thursday night.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026
Another dimension of Abbe, scholars say, is encoded in a light-brown leather account book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
PAINE, Thomas.—Letter addressed to the Abbe Raynal on the Affairs of North-America.
From A Catalogue of Books in English Later than 1700 (Vol 2 of 3) Forming a portion of the library of Robert Hoe by Various
This was not difficult in days when secular abbés were common; nothing would induce him to change his resolution of being a soldier.
From The Wits and Beaux of Society Volume 1 by Grace Wharton
The clergy nominated bishops and abbés attached to privilege, and curés favourable to the popular cause, which was their own; lastly, the third estate selected men enlightened, firm, and unanimous in their wishes.
From History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 by M. (François-Auguste-Marie-Alexis) Mignet
They were imitated in their vices by a rabble of priests out of place, to whom the title of abbot was given in politeness, the little abbés of French biography and fiction.
From The Eve of the French Revolution by Edward J. (Edward Jackson) Lowell
He finally persuaded one of the "abbés" to study the question thoroughly and on that occasion indicated exactly how he stood in matters of government.
From Thomas Jefferson The Apostle of Americanism by Gilbert Chinard
The remarkable contrast between the high wages of the Athenian sophists and the low wages of modern abbés, Adam Smith accounts for principally by the many scholarships of modern times.
From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Wilhelm Roscher
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