Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Displaying 1 result(s) from the 1913 edition:

Abbey (Page: 2)

Ab"bey (#), n.; pl. Abbeys (#). [OF. aba\'8be, F. abbaye, L. abbatia, fr. abbas abbot. See Abbot.]

1. A monastery or society of persons of either sex, secluded from the world and devoted to religion and celibacy; also, the monastic building or buildings. &hand; The men are called monks, and governed by an abbot; the women are called nuns, and governed by an abbess.

2. The church of a monastery. [3]

In London, the Abbey means Westminster Abbey, and in Scotland, the precincts of the Abbey of Holyrood. The name is also retained for a private residence on the site of an abbey; as, Newstead Abbey, the residence of Lord Byron. Syn. -- Monastery; convent; nunnery; priory; cloister. See Cloister.