abbot
/ˈæbət/noun
abbot is spelled A-B-B-O-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, abbot means “The superior or head of an abbey or monastery” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of abbot is abbots.
How many letters and syllables are in abbot?
| Letters | 5: A-B-B-O-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is abbot?
Abbot appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce abbot?
- US /ˈæbət/
- British /ˈabət/
- /ˈɛbət/
Abbot has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-abbot.ogg, En-ca-abbot.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with abbot
Sounds like: Abbott (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of abbot
- abbots plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does abbot mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
The newly appointed abbot decided to take a tour of the abbey with the cardinal's emissary.
- 2
The pastor or administrator of an order, including minor and major orders starting with the minor order of porter.
- 3
A layman who received the abbey's revenues, after the closing of the monasteries.
- 4
BritisharchaicslangA brothel-owner's husband or lover.
- 5
BritisharchaicslangA ponce; a man employed by a prostitute to find clients, and who may also act as a bodyguard or equivalent to a bouncer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate abbot?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of abbot: abb..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Abbot in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense superior or head of an abbey or monastery:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does abbot come from?
From Middle English abbot, abbod, abbed, from Old English abbat, abbad, abbod, from Latin abbās (“father”), from Ancient Greek ἀββᾶς (abbâs), from Aramaic אבא (’abbā, “father”). Doublet of abba, abbé, and bwana.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).