abbey

[ab-ee]

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noun, plural ab·beys.

a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess.

the group of buildings comprising such a monastery or convent.

the church of an abbey.

Origin of abbey

1200–50; Middle English abbey(e) < Old French abeie < Late Latin abbātia abbacy

Abbey

[ab-ee]

noun

Edward,1927–89, U.S. novelist and nature writer.

Edwin Austin,1852–1911, U.S. painter and illustrator.

a female given name, form of Abigail.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abbey

nunnery, convent, ministry, monastery, cloister, temple, priory, friary

Examples from the Web for abbey

Contemporary Examples of abbey

Every day, I drove from my flat in Mayfair to Abbey Road in joyous expectation of what magic I would be participating in that day.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More
Gary Wright
September 29, 2014
She considered becoming a nun in a French abbey that was once liberated by her grandfather.
The Price of Being a Patton: Wrestling With the Legacy of America’s Most Famous General
Tim Teeman
May 26, 2014
It would take until 1969 to get the stone at the Abbey, and the death was to be anything but “happy.”
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy
Michael Weiss
February 16, 2014
Maria sings "My Favorite Things" in the abbey to Mother Abbess, not to the children.
‘Sound of Music Live!’ Review: The Hills Are Barely Alive
Kevin Fallon
December 6, 2013
Well, obvious not in Abbey Road Studios—as Abbeys, Roads, and Studios were not existing 250.000.000 Years ago.
YouTube, Netflix, and the Death of Television
Rich Goldstein
November 14, 2013

Historical Examples of abbey

They may have been removed there from the abbey for safety at the time of the dissolution.
Yorkshire Painted And Described
Gordon Home
His spirit must be chastened, as must that of many more in this Abbey.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
Henry's body was carried home, and buried in the Abbey of Hales.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
Here, Chilvers, I want you to do a couple of columns on that stunt at the Abbey this morning!
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
Abbey was fetched immediately, but he only arrived in time to see me on the block.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for abbey

abbey

noun

a building inhabited by a community of monks or nuns governed by an abbot or abbess

a church built in conjunction with such a building

such a community of monks or nuns

Word Origin for abbey

C13: via Old French abeie from Church Latin abbātia abbacy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abbey

mid-13c., "convent headed by an abbot or abbess," from Anglo-French abbeie, Old French abaïe, from Late Latin abbatia, from abbas (genitive abbatis); see abbot.