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

All guests of La Ferme have access to the facilities of the abbey and a shuttle is available to transport them back and forth. —Laurie Werner, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

The Irish monk Columba settled on Iona in the sixth century and founded an abbey that became a center of Gaelic Christianity. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

In its previous lives, this 12th century abbey was a Cistercian center, a Rothschild estate, a site of German occupation in World War II. —Laurie Werner, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Groff reimagines the real-life 12th-century mystic poet Marie de France into a nun who, bit by bit, transforms her impoverished abbey into a feminist utopia. —Constance Grady, Vox, 5 Aug. 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