abbot

[ ab-uh t ]

/ ˈæb ət /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abbot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a man who is the head or superior, usually elected, of a monastery.

RELATED WORDS

monk, rector, friar

Nearby words

Origin of abbot

before 900; Middle English, variant of abbat < Latin abbāt- (stem of abbās) < Greek < Aramaic abbā abba; replacing Middle English, Old English abbod (compare Old High German abbat) < Late Latin abbād- for abbāt-

Related formsab·bot·cy, ab·bot·ship, nounsub·ab·bot, noun

Abbot

[ ab-uh t ]

/ ˈæb ət /

noun

Charles Greeley,1872–1973, U.S. astrophysicist.

Also Ab·bott. a male given name.

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

Examples from the Web for abbot

Abbot reportedly raised MH17 over dinner and the two are planning to meet again.
Beijing’s ‘Star Trek’ APEC Summit|Jake Adelstein|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The government has approved plans for an expanded coal port at Abbot Point.
Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping|Kirsten Alexander|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Abbot was a strange friend, but he proved to be very useful.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison|Daniel Genis|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And when the Abbot and the Monkes saw that hee made sutch hast away, they were abashed, and asked the cause why he ranne so fast?
The Palace of Pleasure|William Painter

The legend is given hereafter in the notice of Abbot Elsinus, the great collector of relics.
The Cathedral Church of Peterborough|W.D. Sweeting
They are similar in general character to those at Winchester, which were built by Abbot Simeon's brother.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ely|W. D. Sweeting
First came two monks, then six armed men of the Abbot's guard, then the Prioress and three of her nuns.
The Lady Of Blossholme|H. Rider Haggard
At Sopwell the nuns more than once tried to elect their own prioress and seem to have found the Abbot somewhat high-handed.
Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535|Eileen Edna Power

British Dictionary definitions for abbot

abbot

/ (ˈæbət) /

noun

the superior of an abbey of monksRelated adjective: abbatial

Derived Formsabbotship or abbotcy, noun

Word Origin for abbot

Old English abbod, from Church Latin abbāt- (stem of abbas), ultimately from Aramaic abbā Abba

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 abbot

abbot

Old English abbod "abbot," from Latin abbatem (nominative abbas), from Greek abbas, from Aramaic abba, title of honor, literally "the father, my father," emphatic state of abh "father." The Latin fem. abbatissa is root of abbess.