abbey

noun

ab·​bey ˈa-bē 

plural abbeys

1

a

: a monastery ruled by an abbot

b

: a convent ruled by an abbess

2

: an abbey church

Synonyms

• monastery
• cloister

Examples of abbey in a Sentence

the monks in the abbey grow all their own vegetables

Recent Examples on the Web

The caverns were later incorporated into a 13th-century Benedictine abbey, destroyed during the French Revolution but still visible in the architecture of the lower levels. —Rachel King, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

The nuns of the abbey, for instance, were drawn from the richest and most powerful families in the city. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025

Or take another boat (there is not a boat that goes to both islands on a round trip) to the smaller island of Saint-Honorat, to an abbey founded by a hermit in 410CE, when monks owned most of Cannes. —Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

Since then, he’s injected his flair into Venetian jewels like Abbazia San Gregorio, a former Benedictine abbey and the home of Diane von Furstenburg in Palazzo Brandolini-Giustinian. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 7 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

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 -y entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for abbey

• abbe
• cabbie
• cabby
• flabby
• gabby
• gaby
• scabby
• shabby
• tabby

Kids Definition

abbey

noun

ab·​bey ˈab-ē 

plural abbeys

1

a

: monastery

b

: convent

2

: a church that once belonged to an abbey

Westminster Abbey

Biographical Definition

Abbey

biographical name

Ab·​bey ˈa-bē 

Edwin Austin 1852–1911 American painter and illustrator