abbey

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæbi/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English abbeye, borrowed from Anglo-Norman abbeie (Old French abaïe),^[2][3][4] from Late Latin abbātia (“abbacy”),^[3][2][4] from abbās (“abbot”) (see abbot).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A monastery or convent headed by an abbot or abbess: the mid-13th century in Etymonline, 1250 in the OED, about 1300 in Barnhart.^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

After the dissolution of the monasteries the name was often kept by abbey churches, such as Westminster Abbey, or by houses that had been abbey buildings, from 1557.^[5][2] In Scotland the Abbey was the precincts of Holyrood, a sanctuary for debtors, from 1709.^[5]

Timeline

• 1250 – abbey, a monastery.^[5]
• 1557 – an abbey church.^[5]
• 1709 – the Abbey of Holyrood, a sanctuary.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A monastery or convent governed by an abbot or abbess.
2. A church that is or was part of a monastery.

Word family

• Westminster Abbey

Related words

• abbot
• abbess
• abbacy

Usage notes

In Somerset dialect abbey was the great white poplar, the abele.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)