abbey

plural abbeys · alternative obsolete abby

1. The office or dominion of an abbot or abbess.First known use First attested around 1150 to 1350.
2. A monastery or society of people, secluded from the world and devoted to religion and celibacy, which is headed by an abbot or abbess; also, the monastic building or buildings.First known use First attested around 1150 to 1350.

   Near-synonym: convent

   1 more example

   From 1199 to 1203 William Punchard was the abbot of the abbey of Rievaulx, which was part of the Cistercian order of monks.

   Synonyms: convent

3. The church of a monastery.First known use First attested around 1150 to 1350.

   No, we can't have alphabetical seating in the abbey. You'd have Iraq and Iran next to each other (laugh track)... Plus Israel and Jordan all sitting in the same pew (laugh track)! We'd be in danger of starting World War III (laugh track)!

   1987 December 17, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “A Diplomatic Incident”, in Yes, Prime Minister, season 2, episode 3, spoken by Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds)

4. BritishEnglishA residence that was previously an abbatial building.First known use Mid 16ᵗʰ century.
5. dialectalSomersetThe abele or white poplar (Populus alba).

   Abbey-lug, a branch of the abele tree.

   1873, W. P. Williams and W. A. Jones, A Glossary of Provincial Words and Phrases in use in Somersetshire, page 1

   1 more example

   Ab'bey. The great white poplar: one of the varieties of the Populus alba.

   1825, James Jennings, Observations on some of the Dialects of the West of England, page 21

1. A diminutive of the female given name Abigail, from Hebrew.

   Synonyms: Abi, Abby

2. A diminutive of the male given name Albert, from the Germanic languages.
3. A British surname.
4. LondonWestminster Abbey.
5. ScotlandThe precincts of the Abbey of Holyrood.
6. A place name:
   1. A hamlet in Dunkeswell parish, East Devon district, Devon, England, probably named for the local abbey (OS grid ref ST1410).
   2. A small village south-east of Tuam, County Galway, Ireland (Irish grid ref M 5043).
   3. A village west of Portumna, County Galway (Irish grid ref M 7305).
   4. A village in the Rural Municipality of Miry Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada, named after a farm in Ireland.
   5. A suburb of Busselton, Western Australia, named after landholder D. Abbey.