Plural of hegumene; multiple female superiors or abbesses of Orthodox women's monastic communities.
Standard English plural formation of hegumene, adding the -s suffix to the Greek-derived noun.
The plural form hegumenes appears frequently in historical church records documenting the complex governance structures of Byzantine and later Orthodox convents across Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Plural of hegumene; the gendered suffix persists across inflection, reinforcing that female monastic authority is linguistically marked as 'other' from the unmarked male form.
Use 'abbesses' in English or 'hegumens' (gender-neutral plural) when referring to Orthodox female superiors, avoiding the gendered suffix entirely.
["abbesses","hegumens"]
Female Orthodox abbesses governed significant monastic communities; gendered plurals obscured their equivalent authority.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.