abbey

ab·bey

noun \ˈa-bē\

plural abbeys

Definition of ABBEY

1

a : a monastery ruled by an abbot

b : a convent ruled by an abbess

2

: an abbey church

Examples of ABBEY

1. <the monks in the abbey grow all their own vegetables>

Origin of ABBEY

Middle English, from Anglo-French abbaie, abbeie, from Late Latin abbatia abbey, from abbat-, abbas

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to ABBEY

Synonyms

monastery, cloister, friary, hermitage, priory

Related Words

house; convent, nunnery; lamasery

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

Rhymes with ABBEY

blabby, cabbie, crabby, flabby, gabby, grabby, scabby, shabby, tabby, yabby

Ab·bey

biographical name \ˈa-bē\

Definition of ABBEY

Edwin Austin 1852–1911 Am. painter & illustrator

abbey

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

The ruins of Fountains Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in the 12th century, near Ripon, North …—Andy Williams

Complex of buildings housing a monastery or convent under the direction of an abbot or abbess, serving the needs of a self-contained religious community. The first abbey was Monte Cassino in Italy, founded in 529 by St. Benedict of Nursia. The cloister linked the most important elements of an abbey together. The dormitory was often built over the dining hall on the eastern side of the cloister and linked to the central church. The western side of the cloister provided for public dealings, with the gatehouse controlling the only opening to the outer, public courtyard. On the southern side of the cloister were a central kitchen, brewery, and workshops. The novitiate and infirmary were housed in a building with its own chapel, bathhouse, dining hall, kitchen, and garden. In the 12th–13th century, many abbeys were built throughout Europe, especially in France.