abbess

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abbess

/ˈæb.ɪs/ UK
/ˈæb.ɛs/ UK
/ˈæb.ɪs/ US
/ˈæb.ɛs/ US

Rhymes with -æbɪs, -æbɛs

Where it comes from

From Middle English abbesse, from Old French abeesse (French abbesse), from Late Latin or Ecclesiastical Latin abbatissa, feminine of Latin abbas, abbatis (“abbot”).

noun abbesses · abbatess · abbotess

A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the monks. The abbess was always after the nuns to keep the convent immaculately clean.
Similar: mother superior
British, archaic, slang A woman who runs a brothel; a woman employed by a prostitute to find clients. Why laſt night, as Colonel Kill'em, Sir William Weezy, Lord Frederick Foretop, and I were careleſsly ſliding the Ranelagh round, picking our teeth, after a damn'd muzzy dinner at Boodle's, who ſhould trip by but an abbeſs, well known about town, with a ſmart little nun in her ſuite.
Similar: bawd, Covent Garden abbess, lady abbess, madam

Translations

Every language

noun female superior of a nunnery

Español	abadesa
日本語	尼僧院長 nisōinchō
Português	abadessa
Français	abbesse
Deutsch	Äbtissin, Priorin, Oberin
Italiano	badessa
Ελληνικά	ηγουμένη igouméni
Română	stareță
Русский	аббати́са abbatísa, настоя́тельница, игу́менья igúmenʹja
Tiếng Việt	bà trưởng tu viện, nữ trưởng tu viện/ nữ trụ trì
العربية	رَئِيسِيَّة دَيْر

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MLA

"abbess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abbess. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

abbess. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abbess

Chicago

"abbess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abbess.

BibTeX

@misc{abbess_2026,
  title = {abbess},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abbess},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}