Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

abbey

/ˈæbi/ noun

In Latin: abbatia Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abbey at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A church associated with a monastery or convent.
A convent ruled by an abbess.
A monastery ruled by an abbot.

Origin

From A.D. 1250 in Middle English abbey, abbeye (“convent headed by an abbot”) (compare archaic English abbaye), itself borrowed from Old French abaïe, abbaïe, abeïe, abbeïe (Modern French abbaye) from Late Latin or Ecclesiastical Latin abbātia, from Classical Latin abbās (“abbot”). Doublet of abbacy and Opatija. See abbot.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word