abbess
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A woman who runs a brothel; a woman employed by a prostitute to find clients.
Register: archaic, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Why laſt night, as Colonel Kill'em, Sir William Weezy, Lord Frederick Foretop, and I were careleſsly ſliding the Ranelagh round, picking our teeth, after a damn'd muzzy dinner at Boodle's, who ſhould trip by but an abbeſs, well known about town, with a ſmart little nun in her ſuite.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “abbess” mean?
A woman who runs a brothel; a woman employed by a prostitute to find clients.
Is “abbess” formal or informal?
abbess is generally archaic, slang.