Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for AB'BEY
AB'BEY, n. [plur. Abbeys; from abba.]
A monastery or society of persons of either sex, secluded from the world and devoted to religion. The males are called monks and governed by an abbot; the females are called nuns, and governed by an abbess. These institutions were suppressed in England by Henry VIII.; but they still exist in Catholic countries.
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