abbé

a member of the French secular clergy; a title of respect for any ecclesiastic

Not to be confused with:

abbey – a monastery under the supervision of an abbott or a convent under the supervision of an abbess

ab·bé

(ăb′ā′, ă-bā′)

n. Roman Catholic Church

1. Used as a title for the superior of a monastery in a French-speaking area.

2. Used as a title for a cleric in major or minor orders in a French-speaking area.

[French, from Old French abbe, from Late Latin abbās, abbāt-, abbot; see abbot.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Abbe

(ˈæbɪ; German ˈaːbə)

(Biography) Ernst. 1840–1905, German physicist, noted for his work in optics and the microscope condenser known as the Abbe condenser

abbé

(ˈæbeɪ; French abe)

1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) a French abbot

2. (Ecclesiastical Terms) a title used in addressing any other French cleric, such as a priest

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ab•bé

(æˈbeɪ, ˈæb eɪ)

n., pl. -bés.
(esp. in France)

1. a member of the secular clergy.

2. a title of respect for any ecclesiastic or clergyman.

[1520–30; < French, Middle French < Late Latin abbātem, acc. of abbās abbot]

abbé

A French word meaning a priest.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

abbe - a French abbot

abbot, archimandrite - the superior of an abbey of monks

Translations

Abbé

αβάς

abbé

[ˈæbeɪ] N → abate m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"Be cautious," said the latter, "the Abbe Fouquet is there."

"Well, then, send away the Abbe Fouquet; I have not a sou." Gourville made a step towards the door.

You make a strange advocate, Gourville, to-day -- the advocate of the Abbe Fouquet!"

View in context

Now we have in a dungeon about twenty feet distant, and to which you descend by another stair, an abbe, formerly leader of a party in Italy, who has been here since 1811, and in 1813 he went mad, and the change is astonishing.

"It is here; unlock the door, Antoine." The turnkey obeyed, and the inspector gazed curiously into the chamber of the "mad abbe."

"I, monsieur," replied the abbe with an air of surprise -- "I want nothing."

View in context

Anna Pavlovna in dismay detained him with the words: "Do you know the Abbe Morio?

With his head bent, and his big feet spread apart, he began explaining his reasons for thinking the abbe's plan chimerical.

View in context

In the home of the witty abbe dwelt incessant laughter; there all the items of the day had their source and were so quickly transformed, misrepresented, metamorphosed, some into epigrams, some into falsehoods, that every one was anxious to pass an hour with little Scarron, listening to what he said, reporting it to others.

The diminutive Abbe Scarron, who, however, was an abbe only because he owned an abbey, and not because he was in orders, had formerly been one of the gayest prebendaries in the town of Mans, which he inhabited.

View in context

To complete the picture of the internal habits and ways of this house, it is necessary to group around Mademoiselle Cormon and the Abbe de Sponde Jacquelin, Josette, and Mariette, the cook, who employed themselves in providing for the comfort of uncle and niece.

He waited at table, groomed the mare, gardened, blacked the abbe's boots, went on errands, chopped the wood, drove the carriole, and fetched the oats, straw, and hay from Prebaudet.

View in context