A female abbot; a woman who is the head of a convent or abbey of nuns.
From Late Latin abbatissa, feminine form of abbas (abbot), ultimately from Aramaic abba meaning 'father.' The term evolved to designate the female equivalent of an abbot in Christian monastic traditions.
Just like we add '-ess' to 'actor' to get 'actress,' medieval Latin created 'abbatissa' to show a woman held the same leadership role as a male abbot—but interestingly, abbesses often wielded considerable political and spiritual power in medieval Europe!
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