Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “abbacy” come from?

abbacy (English) comes from Middle English abbathie, from Latin abbātia, from Latin abbās, from Ancient Greek ἀββᾶς, from Ancient Greek ἀββα, from Aramaic אבא, from Proto-Semitic ʔabw-, from Proto-Afroasiatic ʔab-.

abbacy (English): The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an...

Definitions

  1. The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an...

Ancestry of “abbacy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishabbathie—
2Latinabbātia—
3Latinabbās—
4Ancient GreekἀββᾶςAlternative form of ἀββα; father
5Ancient Greekἀββαfather; title of respect given to abbots
6Aramaicאבאfather, ancestor, progenitor; teacher; chief,...
7Proto-Semiticʔabw-father
8Proto-Afroasiaticʔab-—
Every word from Proto-Afroasiatic ʔab- →