Emily Dickinson Lexicon

abbey (-s), n. [Aramaic abbā, father.] (webplay: authority, ignorance, places, possessing, privileges, superior, world).

1. Tomb; sepulcher; vault; burial chamber; resting place for the dead; church building which houses tombs for the dead.
2. Chrysalis; colored sheath of a butterfly; protective casing for a larvae; colorful body and wings that a butterfly leaves behind at death; silky container holding a new larvae that a butterfly leaves behind at death; [fig.] metamorphosis; mortal tabernacle; symbol of birth, life, death, and resurrection.
3. Haunted sanctuary; dilapidated medieval church building.