abbey
noun
a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess.
abbey
1 American
[ab-ee]
/ ˈæb i /
noun
-
abbeys
plural
-
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.
Abbey
2
American
[ab-ee]
/ ˈæb i /
noun
-
Edward, 1927–89, U.S. novelist and nature writer.
-
Edwin Austin, 1852–1911, U.S. painter and illustrator.
-
a first name, form of Abigail.
abbey
British
/ ˈæbɪ /
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of abbey
1200–50; Middle English abbey ( e ) < Old French abeie < Late Latin abbātia abbacy
Explanation
An abbey is a church that's part of a monastery or convent. You'll often find monks or nuns in an abbey. There are a few types of abbeys, but they're all related to intense religious dedication. An abbey can be a monastery or convent, which is either composed of monks or nuns who have withdrawn from society to live a life of poverty and chastity. You can also call a church associated with a monastery or convent an abbey. That type of abbey will be run by the monks or nuns but also open to other churchgoers.
Vocabulary lists containing abbey
Medieval Europe - Introductory
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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:
Before the Sagrada Familia mass on Wednesday, he is due to visit a prison and an abbey in the Montserrat mountain range overlooking Barcelona.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
To reach the abbey, visitors must climb the town’s famous 199 steps that rise along the cliff.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
Chinese brides lining up to marry in Yorkshire abbey.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
First seen in its full glory at the nearby abbey of St. Denis, Gothic architecture served an age without electricity—one that learned to reduce its walls to their physical minimum in order to welcome sunlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
As a boy at the abbey, stories had been Lazlo’s only wealth.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Justin Scully, National Trust General Manager for Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal and Brimham Rocks, said the findings establish a direct connection between Brimham Rocks and the Devil's Arrows, linking two distinctive Yorkshire landscapes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
"I'm sure it was going on at Downton Abbey, but now the lid is lifted on what really happens in these stately homes."
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
As for enduring monuments, Elvis fanatics have Graceland, Beatles obsessives have Abbey Road, but Dolly?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“I kind of think of the Downton Abbey upstairs/downstairs,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
For maximum effect the army must be seen marching boldly up to the very gates of the Abbey in full array.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
If you’re new to her work, here is where to start with Groff’s sprawling canon, which spans from steamy Florida swamps to medieval abbeys with a gift for the unexpected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
Abbey beers, which involve a brewer paying royalties in exchange for using the abbey name, are common in Belgium, but until now they have only been with abbeys housing monks.
From Reuters ● Dec. 10, 2021
Much of the carved stonework from each of the Cloisters’ gardens came from the Gallic abbeys bearing their names — Cuxa, Bonnefont, Trie.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2020
The peloton sped by ruined abbeys and sights like the 14th-century Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, before finishing in Harrogate, which is known for its spas.
From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2014
In the abbeys all the monks were illuminating the initial letters of their manuscripts with such a riot of invention that it was impossible to read the first page at all.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
