abbess
[ ab-is ]
/ ˈæb ɪs /
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noun
a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns.
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Origin of abbess
1275–1325; Middle English abbesse<Old French abbesse, abaesse<Late Latin abbātissa, feminine of abbāsabbot; replacing Middle English abbatisse<Late Latin; in turn replacing Old English abadisse,abbodesse (compare Old High German abbatissa) <Late Latin *ab(b)adissa for abbātissa
usage note for abbess
See -ess.
Words nearby abbess
abbé, Abbe condenser, abbed, Abbe number, Abbé operation, abbess, Abbeville, Abbevillian, abbey, Abbey Theatre, Abbie
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for abbess
British Dictionary definitions for abbess
abbess
/ (ˈæbɪs) /
noun
the female superior of a convent
Word Origin for abbess
C13: from Old French, from Church Latin abbātissa
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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