abbotess

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A form of abbess — 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.

OriginMiddle English abbodesse ← Old English abbadisse ← Medieval Latin abbātissa →
First used attested until the late 17th centuryScrabble 12
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Meanings

nounabbotess (plural abbotesses)

plural abbotesses

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of abbess.First known use attested until the late 17th century

Origin

  1. Medieval Latinabbātissa
  2. Old Englishabbadisse
  3. Middle Englishabbodesse
  4. Englishabbotess

From Middle English abbodesse, from Old English abbadisse, abbodyse, from Medieval Latin abbātissa; equivalent to abbot + -ess.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

abbotess. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abbotess

MLA

“abbotess.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abbotess. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abbotess,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abbotess.

Source: abbotess on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.