abbot

noun ab·bot \ ˈa-bət \

|Updated on: 29 Jul 2018

Definition of abbot

: the superior of a monastery for men

See abbot defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of abbot from the Web

The former abbot, subsequently stripped of his monastic rank, managed to evade capture and flee the country.

— george styllis, Washington Post, "Thai crackdown targets Buddhist monks amid accusations of embezzlement and fraud," 24 June 2018
This was a condition from Father Samuel, its French abbot, to help maintain his order's privacy, because, while the skincare products his brothers produce may be quite modern, the way of life here is anything but.

— fiorella valdesolo, Town & Country, "Fresh's Crème Ancienne is Handmade by Monks in a Czech Monastary," 1 Nov. 2016
Tohaku’s patrons included abbots of important Kyoto temples; the leading tea master, Sen no Rikyu; and chief minister Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

— lee lawrence, WSJ, "‘A Giant Leap: The Transformation of Hasegawa Tohaku’ Review," 25 Apr. 2018
But the basilica’s abbot stopped the preliminary work for their exhumation for nearly two years by appealing the judge’s decision, until top Catholic Church authorities ordered him earlier this year to comply with the judge’s ruling.

— Washington Post, "Spain resumes controversial exhumations near Franco’s tomb," 23 Apr. 2018
After decades of contented toil as an abbot and gardener, the father of genetics died in relative obscurity.

— emily bobrow, WSJ, "‘The Art of the Wasted Day’ Review: Fallen Idylls," 13 Apr. 2018
Wirathu, the abbot of the Masoeyein monastery in Mandalay, has taken a leading role in spreading the anti-Muslim sentiment among Myanmar’s Buddhist majority that has underpinned the army’s campaign against the ethnic Rohingya minority.

— james hookway, WSJ, "Buddhist Leader Spreads Hatred of Muslims in Myanmar," 12 Oct. 2017
Vanna Sara, a Buddhist abbot at Sittwe’s Seik Ke Daw Min monastery, said harsh policies were necessary to protect Buddhists.

— Washington Post, "In Myanmar, one girl’s plight epitomizes Rohingya struggle," 5 July 2017
The glass encased skeleton at Wat Pah Nanachat, a forest monastery in northeast Thailand, belonged to a local woman years before the former abbot had her bones disinterred and put on show in the meditation hall.

— joseph hincks / hong kong, Time, "This Is How It Feels to Eat 13-Year-Old Steak," 30 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of abbot

Middle English abbot, abbod, going back to Old English, borrowed from Late Latin abbāt-, abbās, borrowed from Late Greek abbâs (also, a title of respect given to monks), borrowed from Aramaic abbā "father"

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First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

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