abbot

ab·bot | \ ˈa-bət

How to pronounce abbot (audio)

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Definition of abbot

: the superior of a monastery for men

Examples of abbot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Thailand, a group of separatist insurgents attacked a Buddhist temple, killing the abbot and one of his fellow monks. — Washington Post, "Houses of worship attacked with deadly frequency in 2019," 14 Dec. 2019 Zawana Nyarna, an abbot from Taung Pyone, claims that the monks from his monastery and the six others in the village are innocent. — The Economist, "Monks in Myanmar have a new target," 14 Nov. 2019 A few years ago Khin Swe Oo asked Zawana Nyarna and other local abbots for help in preventing the attacks at Taung Pyone. — The Economist, "Monks in Myanmar have a new target," 14 Nov. 2019 An official registry lists the remains of 33,847 people, though a former abbot estimated that twice as many were taken to the mausoleum. — Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, "Franco’s Body Is Exhumed, as Spain Still Struggles to Confront the Past," 26 Oct. 2019 Back in the early 1300s, an abbot of the Sedlec Monastery brought back holy soil from Jerusalem and scattered it across the church’s cemetery, and suddenly everyone wanted to be buried in that sacred ground. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "Creepy Catacombs, Islands of Dolls, and 18 Other Terrifying Places for Thrill Seekers," 4 Sep. 2019 But the abbot, the Venerable Ambalangoda Sumedhananda Thero, barely registered the blast. — Hannah Beech, New York Times, "‘Our Duty to Fight’: The Rise of Militant Buddhism," 8 July 2019 He was ordered by the abbot to make a complete break. — Garry Wills, Harper's magazine, "Shallow Calls to Shallow," 10 Apr. 2019 Sánchez has met opposition from Franco’s relatives and the abbot of the basilica within the huge mausoleum complex where the dictator was buried in 1975. — Washington Post, "Spanish court halts government plan to exhume Franco," 5 June 2019

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

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Abbot of Misrule

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Last Updated

28 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Abbot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbot. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

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