abbot

noun

ab·​bot ˈa-bət How to pronounce abbot (audio)
: the superior of a monastery for men

Examples of abbot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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On the Sunday before the wedding, two of them—the abbot emeritus Padre Norberto Villa and his colleague Padre Paolo Maria Censori—filed into the Chapel of the Dead to celebrate Mass. Max Norman, New Yorker, 27 June 2025 Eugenia, raised pagan, joined a monastery to learn more about Christianity and later became abbot. Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 27 May 2025 They would be led by an older, more experienced person – an abbot. Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 27 May 2025 As the village abbot never far from the woods, or from Martine’s little dining room table, Jacques Develay manages the trick of utter simplicity in his motives and line readings. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abbot

Word History

Etymology

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"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abbot was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Abbot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbot. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

abbot

noun
ab·​bot ˈab-ət How to pronounce abbot (audio)
: the head of a monastery for men

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