prioress

[prahy-er-is]

noun

1. a woman holding a position corresponding to that of a prior, sometimes ranking next below an abbess.

ˈprioress

/ ˈpraɪərɪs /

noun

1. a nun holding an office in her convent corresponding to that of a prior in a male religious order

Gender Note

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

• subprioress noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈprioress¹

1250–1300; Middle English prioresse < Old French. See prior ², -ess

Example Sentences

He had dozens of burly military veterans enforce his rules while the prioress and several nuns left.

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The prioress of the order had taken her to meet the friar Robert, who was visiting from the Carmelite priory in Oxford, to see if he wanted anything to eat.

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“This could be the prioress, or maybe someone in the Dominican order who is over her, though it is possible archdiocesan officials have weighed in on the matter informally.”

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They fret about prioress elections and daily expenses — “the high price of pins, the extravagance of little loaves, the wastage of candles” — more than they do the Black Death.

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When “Matrix” opens, Marie, all of 17 years old, is appointed prioress of a dilapidated abbey, founded centuries earlier, where a few nuns remain scavenging for food.

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Related Words

• sister