A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent ofnuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots haveover the monks. See Abbey.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/topic/7055/abbessRSS for NodeWed, 08 Jul 2026 10:42:06 GMTTue, 21 Mar 2017 19:02:10 GMT60Female brothel keeper. A [Madame].
Etymology: Victorian underworld slang. An abbess (Latin abbatissa, fem. form of abbas, abbot) is the female superior, or Mother Superior, of an abbey or convent of nuns. Since the Elizabethan era, [nun] has been slang for a prostitute (ref. [William Faulkner], Requiem

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