Abbé
/a.be/noun
A French title for an abbot or, historically, a secular Catholic priest.
Did you know?The religious title ultimately comes from Aramaic abba, the intimate word for “father” also preserved in Christian scripture and liturgy.
Etymological Timeline
1st millennium BCE
Aramaic
abba
“father; an intimate form of address”
Ancient Greek
Greek
abbâs
“abbot or revered spiritual father”
4th Century
Late Latin
abbas
“abbot, the head of a monastery”
8th Century
Old English
abbod
“abbot, a monastery’s spiritual superior”
12th Century
Old French
abe / abet
“abbot or cleric”
17th Century
French
abbé
“a priest, especially a secular Catholic priest”