abbey

noun ab·bey \ ˈa-bē \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of abbey

plural abbeys

1 a : a monastery ruled by an abbot

b : a convent ruled by an abbess

2 : an abbey church

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Examples of abbey in a Sentence

the monks in the abbey grow all their own vegetables

Recent Examples of abbey from the Web

Kate chose to arrive at Westminster abbey by car with her father, Michael, who then walked her down the aisle.

— megan friedman, Harper's BAZAAR, "No, Meghan Markle’s Mother Won’t Be Walking Her Down the Aisle," 4 May 2018
The Sound of Music’’ starred Mary Martin — then just weeks away from her 46th birthday — as Maria, the young postulant who leaves an abbey to become a governess to the von Trapp family.

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "There’s no solving a problem like ‘The Sound of Music’," 3 May 2018
The abbey is struggling to attract and retain younger novices.

— stephen hiltner, New York Times, "The World Is Changing. This Trappist Abbey Isn’t. Can It Last?," 17 Mar. 2018
That search, which Nathaniel recalls decades later, sends the story into places as different as canals along the Thames and a former abbey turned into an explosives factory.

— caryn james, WSJ, "In ‘Warlight,’ Echoes of Ondaatje’s ‘The English Patient’," 30 Apr. 2018
After the service, the prince seemed perked up, as he was seen chatting with other guests in the abbey.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "People Think Prince William Was Falling Asleep at His First Event Post-Royal Baby," 25 Apr. 2018
Police officers patrolled the steep cobblestone paths leading up to the abbey, packed with restaurants and souvenir shops — and normally packed with tourists and pilgrims 365 days a year.

— sheila norman-culp, The Seattle Times, "Tourists at iconic French abbey evacuated after threat," 22 Apr. 2018
As the younger royal brother, Louis Jr. was meant to have some kind of ecclesiastical career, and to that end he was raised and educated in the abbey of Saint-Denis in Paris.

— anne thériault, Longreads, "Queens of Infamy: Eleanor of Aquitaine," 4 Apr. 2018
The abbey marks one of the French starts of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

— hugh garvey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Road Trip: 3 Days in Burgundy, France," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abbey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abbey

Middle English abbeye, abbay, borrowed from Anglo-French abeie, abbaye, borrowed from Medieval Latin abbātia "abbacy, abbey," from Late Latin abbāt-, abbās abbot + Latin -ia ²-y

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year