The site or location where an abbey is built or stood; the abbey's position or place.
From abbey + stead (a place or location), where stead comes from Old English stede (place). This is a compound showing medieval English word formation.
The word 'stead' in 'instead' and 'steadfast' carries this old meaning of 'place' or 'position'—abbeystead literally means 'the abbey's place,' showing how medieval English named locations!
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