abbess

/ˈæbəs/

Other forms: abbesses

An abbess is the head of a group of nuns. Typically, a woman has been a nun for many years before becoming an abbess.

In the Catholic church, the male superior of monks is called an abbot. The female equivalent is an abbess, who's kind of the boss of the nuns at an abbey (which simply means "place where monks or nuns live"). We can trace this word all the way back to the Aramaic abba, an honorific title that means "the father" or "my father."

Definitions of abbess

1. noun

   the superior of a group of nuns
   synonyms: mother superior, prioress

   examples:

   Saint Bridget

   Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)

   Heloise

   student and mistress and wife of Abelard (circa 1098-1164)

   types:

   mother

   a term of address for a mother superior

   type of:

   superior

   the head of a religious community