Abbess

Definition of abbess:

part of speech: noun

Female head of a convent of nuns.

part of speech: noun

The superior of a religious community of women.

part of speech: noun

The head of a convent; the lady, or mother, superior.

Usage examples for abbess:

• Miss Dillon, the Abbess was brought before the Lord Deputy; but her quiet dignity made such impression on the court, that she was dismissed without molestation for the time. "An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800", Mary Frances Cusack.

• But the abbess tenderly urged her request. "La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages", Jules Michelet.

• On an inspection one Monday by the abbess it was found that the south aspect was so much preferred that six times as many nuns slept on the south side as on each of the other three sides. "Amusements in Mathematics", Henry Ernest Dudeney.