prioress
Other forms: prioresses
The head of a group of nuns is a prioress. Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized this figure by including The Prioress's Tale as one of his 14th-century Canterbury Tales.
In the hierarchy of religious figures at a Carmelite or Dominican monastery, a group of nuns is lead by a prioress, whose superior is called an abbess. The male version of these ranks are prior and abbot, leaders who preside over a group of Catholic monks.
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the superior of a group of nunssynonyms: abbess, mother superiorexamples:Saint BridgetIrish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)Heloisestudent and mistress and wife of Abelard (circa 1098-1164)types:mothera term of address for a mother superiortype of:superiorthe head of a religious community
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Vocabulary lists containing prioress
Margaret is an orphan who was raised by nuns on an isolated island. When Eleanor, the exiled Queen of Albion, is imprisoned on the island, Margaret learns secrets about her past and becomes involved in a daring plot to save the queen.
In this comedy, Vincentio, Duke of Vienna, leaves his realm in the hands of Angelo. The Duke then disguises himself as a friar to observe how things will change in his absence. Read the full text here