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."

Example Sentences

Harriet Short, who represents the family, took over reading the statement on behalf of Mrs Abbess who had become too emotional to continue.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2024

Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, both died after getting into trouble in the water in May 2023.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2024

Sunnah Khan, 12, from High Wycombe, and Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, died in the sea near Bournemouth Pier on 31 May 2023.

From BBC • May 31, 2024

Portal, which is part of Bournemouth's arts festival, attracted criticism from the families of Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, who died on 31 May.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2023

It was with the Abbess, sir--with my sister," Bonne continued in a low tone, "that the Countess was to stay the night.

From The Abbess Of Vlaye by Weyman, Stanley J.

Related Words

• sister