abbey

noun

ab·​bey ˈa-bē 

plural abbeys

1

a

: a monastery ruled by an abbot

b

: a convent ruled by an abbess

2

: an abbey church

Synonyms

• cloister
• friary
• hermitage
• monastery
• priory

Examples of abbey in a Sentence

the monks in the abbey grow all their own vegetables

Recent Examples on the Web

Production design by Adam Reamer engulfs Cecilia in the abbey’s majestic courtyards, spooky corridors and candlelit chambers like a figure in a fresco, immersed in menacing ritual and beauty. —Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024

Among these burials are likely the abbesses — the heads of the abbey — as well as benefactors and other people who had important responsibilities in the abbey. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024

Some of Sister Wilhelmina’s nieces and nephews have objected to the way the abbey had handled her body. —Ruth Graham Katie Currid, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023

The clip begins with a sequence showing William and Kate leaving their home for the car ride to the abbey, along with their children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. —Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 May 2023

Matrix by Lauren Groff Currents of violence and devotion coalesce around Marie de France, a 17-year-old sent to be the new prioress of a 12th-century English abbey. —Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024

The discovery marks the first time physical remains of the medieval abbey have been found. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

The medieval Cistercian abbey dates back to the 12th century and features Romanesque and Gothic elements. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2024

Here, sold by Film Constellation and based on true events, in the 9th century Emma is appointed head of an abbey encharged in repopulating frontier lands abutting Muslim territory. —John Hopewell, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abbeye, abbay, borrowed from Anglo-French abeie, abbaye, borrowed from Medieval Latin abbātia "abbacy, abbey," from Late Latin abbāt-, abbās abbot + Latin -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

abbey

noun

ab·​bey ˈab-ē 

plural abbeys

1

a

: monastery

b

: convent

2

: a church that once belonged to an abbey

Westminster Abbey

Biographical Definition

Abbey

biographical name

Ab·​bey ˈa-bē 

Edwin Austin 1852–1911 American painter and illustrator