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ABBESS

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ab⋅bess

  [ab-is]
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–noun
a woman who is the superior of a convent of nuns.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME abbesse < OF abbesse, abaesse < LL abbātissa, fem. of abbās abbot; r. ME abbatisse < LL; in turn r. OE abadisse, abbodesse (cf. OHG abbatissa) < LL *ab(b)adissa for abbātissa

Usage note:
See -ess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ab·bess   (āb'ĭs)   
n.  

  1. The superior of a convent.

  2. Abbr. Abb. Used as a title for such a person.


[Middle English abesse, from Old French, from Late Latin abbātissa, from abbās, abbāt-, abbot; see abbot.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

abbess 
1297, abbese, from O.Fr. abbesse, from L.L. abbatissa, fem. of abbas (see abbot).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

abbess

the title of a superior of certain communities of nuns following the Benedictine Rule, of convents of the Second Order of St. Francis (Poor Clares), and of certain communities of canonesses. The first historical record of the name is on a Roman inscription dated c. 514.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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