Etymologically
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abbey

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:57. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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)