abbess

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of abbess One of them was the abbess of a female religious community in Kent from around 733 to 761 CE, which is consistent with the dating of MS Selden Supra 30. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023 Groff imagined the poet Marie de France as a teenager forced to venture into the dark woods to serve as the abbess. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023 It’s been nearly 14 centuries since the monastery founded by St. Hild of Whitby, a prominent abbess in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England, hosted the Northumbrian kingdom’s assembly to discuss the date on which its Christian church would celebrate Easter. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023 Another early modern abbess, likely one Eadburg of Minster-in-Thanet, left behind a legacy of a different kind: her name and assorted doodles of humanoid figures, inscribed on the pages of an eighth-century Christian manuscript now housed at the University of Oxford. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for abbess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abbess
Noun
  • In response, the diocese said in a statement that the Holy See has acted toward healing the Arlington Carmel and the nuns in the community and not simply the former prioress and her former councilors.
    Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2024
  • Matrix by Lauren Groff Currents of violence and devotion coalesce around Marie de France, a 17-year-old sent to be the new prioress of a 12th-century English abbey.
    Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
  • The nun incorporates stories in her presentation, using examples of kids that she’s worked with.
    Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
  • In 1939, it was renamed Siena Heights College in honor of St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century Dominican nun.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent.
    Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Louise, a former anchoress, is her humble, tyrannical maid.
    Hervé Guibert, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • This makes these spots good for young anglers and novices as well as those with mobility challenges.
    Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2025
  • Two pilots in uniform greeted us and put all of us novice fliers at ease, giving us a rundown about the safety measures between cracking jokes.
    Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • The ceremony, where Tucker and Hudgens exchanged personalized vows, was officiated by former monk Jay Shetty.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 4 July 2025
  • The Trappist monk Thomas Merton describes a similar experience on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, on a rare occasion when leaving his cloistered monastery.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • One of the exciting new discoveries includes new information regarding Babylonian women–many were priestesses.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 July 2025
  • The title mixed action-game elements with tower defense and real-time strategy to create a memorable experience as the swordsman Soh escorts the priestess Yoshiro through a mountain tainted with evil spirits.
    Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Abbess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbess. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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