abbess
[ ab-is ]
/ ˈæb ɪs /
noun
a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns.
RELATED WORDS
sister, bishop, vestal, anchorite, prioress, postulant, dignitary, cardinal, abbot, ecclesiastic, hierarch, archbishop, canoness, superior, ecclesiarch
Nearby words
- abbatial,
- abbe,
- abbe condenser,
- abbe number,
- abbed,
- abbeville,
- abbevillian,
- abbey,
- abbey theatre,
- abbey, edwin austin
Origin of abbess
1275–1325; Middle English abbesse < Old French abbesse, abaesse < Late Latin abbātissa, feminine of abbās abbot; 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
See -ess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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abbess
c.1300, abbese, from Old French abbesse, from Late Latin abbatissa, fem. of abbas (see abbot). Replaced earlier abbotess.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper