abbot
noun
a man who is the head or superior, usually elected, of a monastery.
abbot
1 American
[ab-uht]
/ ˈæb ət /
noun
-
abbots
plural
Abbot
2
American
[ab-uht]
/ ˈæb ət /
noun
-
Charles Greeley, 1872–1973, U.S. astrophysicist.
-
Also Abbott a first name.
abbot
British
/ ˈæbət /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of abbot
First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of abbat, from Latin abbāt- (stem of abbās ), from Greek, from Aramaic abbā; replacing Middle English, Old English abbod (compare Old High German abbat ), from Late Latin abbād- for abbāt-; cf. Abba 1 ( def. )
Explanation
An abbot is the head of a monastery. Just as businesses have bosses and teams have coaches, the monastery has an abbot. The word abbot comes from the Greek abbas, which means "father” as a title with honor. An abbot is the superior of a monastery, the father of the fathers — in other words. Other monks must obey the abbot, and the abbot should lead and inspire all the monks.
Vocabulary lists containing abbot
Name That Job: Occupational Last Names
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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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:
"People are facing many economic hardships," said the abbot, U Thudassa.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
“I am looking forward to the silence finally stopping, because 54 years of silence is a long time,” said Bishop Kassianos of Aravissos, the abbot of the seminary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Caldey Abbey commissioned the report, and its new abbot apologised for the pain and suffering caused.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024
The abbot told him to begin every morning by performing exactly 108 bows, a meditation exercise in Korean Buddhism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
He wasn’t sure whether, as a Jew, he was allowed to refer to the abbot as “father”—either in his religion or theirs—but he figured it was safest to do whatever William did.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
The business created by Goel and Raheja operated under various names, including Abbot Pacific LLC and Jet Set Work LLC, according to prosecutors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
In the lines of Abbot Cuno, Hildegard’s antagonist, David Adam Moore exudes weight and a sense of superiority; Tenor Roy Hage, as her friend Volmar, radiates concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
But Abbot Joseph Mpundu, a standard bearer for the repressed 1992 protests against Mobutu's rule, takes a dim view of any rehabilitation of the ex-dictator's image.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
Members of the board are appointed by the governor of the state, Greg Abbot, a Republican.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
The Father Abbot halted in front of the wall on which hung a long tapestry.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The number of temples has tripled, monks and abbots have become well-known public figures, and China has used the faith to build ties around the world, sending nuns and monks on goodwill missions.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2018
There are also temples which have attracted large and dedicated followings, through skilful promotion of charismatic monks and abbots, said to have supernatural powers.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2017
Splattered across the lands of central Europe are countless territories overseen by an emperor who shared power with a hierarchy spanning princes, bishops and dukes, down to abbots, knights and city councils.
From Economist ● Apr. 14, 2016
In these prickly missives, Burns vamps and camps merrily, elsewhere referring to homosexual figures in whimsical religious terms, as abbots and abbesses.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2013
From the time of Clovis, the kings were accustomed to make grants of the sort to land-holding abbots and bishops, and by the time of Charlemagne nearly all such prelates had been thus favored.
From A Source Book of Medi?val History Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance by Ogg, Frederic Austin
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.
