abbess

noun

ab·​bess ˈa-bəs How to pronounce abbess (audio)
: a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns

Examples of abbess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web When the abbess died in 866, she was buried in the abbey church. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 That makes the abbess a likely candidate for the author of the inscription and marginal doodles. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023 One of them was the abbess of a female religious community in Kent from around 733 to 761 CE, which is consistent with the dating of MS Selden Supra 30. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023 Groff imagined the poet Marie de France as a teenager forced to venture into the dark woods to serve as the abbess. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for abbess 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abbess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abbesse, borrowed from Anglo-French abbesse, abeiesse, borrowed from Late Latin abbātissa, feminine derivative of abbāt-, abbās abbot

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abbess was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near abbess

Cite this Entry

“Abbess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbess. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

abbess

noun
ab·​bess ˈab-əs How to pronounce abbess (audio)
: the head of a convent of nuns
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