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# abbot

noun (an abbot, abbots)

«abbot» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (church) An abbot is the man in charge of an abbey, a community of monks who live, pray and work together. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#m1)
2. (history) In the Middle Ages an abbot could also be a powerful landowner, as important as a lord. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#m2)

### In the lessons

In history lessons about monasteries, castles and the Middle Ages, the abbot runs the abbey, keeps its rules and looks after its lands and money; in stories he is often wise, sometimes greedy or strict. The woman who leads a community of nuns is an abbess. Phrases: the abbot of the abbey, Father Abbot.

### Examples

- The abbot rang the bell for morning prayers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x1)
- Every monk in the abbey obeyed the abbot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x2)
- The old abbot welcomed the tired travellers and gave them bread. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x3)
- In 1539 King Henry VIII closed the abbeys and the abbots lost their lands. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x4)
- Our class visited the ruins of an abbey where an abbot once lived. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x5)
- The abbot wrote down the rules the monks had to follow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x6)
- In the story, a greedy abbot hid the gold under the chapel floor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/#x7)

### Note

Countable: one abbot, two abbots. Use «an»: an abbot. Spelling: two b's, one t at the end. The female form is abbess. Do not mix up abbot (the leader) with abbey (the building and community): the abbot lives in the abbey. A monk is any member; the abbot is the head.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «abbot» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/abbot/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«abbot» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/abbot.html) on Mova free.