The rank, status, or authority of an abbess; the office or position held by a female head of an abbey.
From Old French 'ablesse' (abbess's rank), derived from 'abbesse' (female abbot) + '-ess' suffix. The term evolved from Latin 'abbatissa,' reflecting the formal title and position of authority in religious communities from medieval times.
Medieval abbesses were serious power players—they controlled vast lands and answered to no local lord, only the Pope—yet their title got feminized with '-ess' while male abbots kept the plain 'abbot.' Language sometimes reveals medieval sexism hiding in plain sight!
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