mother superior

American  

noun

PLURAL

mother superiors, mothers superior

1. the head of a Christian religious community for women.

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mother superior British  

noun

1. the head of a community of nuns

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Etymology

Origin of mother superior

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

She’s barely there, making a couple of brief appearances as the nuns’ mother superior back in Calcutta, but she’s as tough and vivid as ever.

From New York Times

About three miles from downtown Galveston, 93 children lived at St. Mary’s Orphanage with 10 nuns, including Sister M. Camillus Tracy, the mother superior.

From Washington Post

The mother superior and several nuns have left and armed guards are patrolling the site.

From BBC

One convent said she had even pretended to be a mother superior – the head of a female religious community.

From The Guardian

Bryant, one of the first to challenge that imbalance, became a mother superior to any number of young artists, including Hammons.

From The New Yorker