abbess
[ ab-is ]
/ ˈæb ɪs /
noun
a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns.
Origin of abbess
1275–1325; Middle English
abbesse < Old French
abbesse, abaesse < Late Latin
abbātissa, feminine of
abbās
abbot; replacing Middle English
abbatisse < Late Latin; in turn replacing Old English
abadisse,
abbodesse (compare Old High German
abbatissa) < Late Latin
*ab(b)adissa for
abbātissa
usage note for abbess
See
-ess.
Words nearby abbess
abbatial,
abbe,
abbe condenser,
abbe number,
abbed,
abbess,
abbeville,
abbevillian,
abbey,
abbey theatre,
abbie
Example sentences from the Web for abbess
British Dictionary definitions for abbess
abbess
/ (ˈæbɪs) /
noun
the female superior of a convent
Word Origin for abbess
C13: from Old French, from Church Latin
abbātissa