abbé

noun

ab·​bé a-ˈbā 

ˈa-ˌbā

: a member of the French secular clergy in major or minor orders

—used as a title

Examples of abbé in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After his death just five years later, the paintings were inventoried simply as depictions of the basilica and square without any mention of the poor abbe. —Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 25 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "abbot" (extended as a title to nonresident abbots and hence to any clergyman in a secular environment), going back to Old French abé, going back to Late Latin abbāt-, abbās abbot

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above