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Definition of "prioress" [pri•or•ess]

  • A nun in charge of a priory or ranking next below the abbess of an abbey. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "prioress" in a sentence
  • "The term prioress is properly applied only to a superioress in a convent which has the papal approbation and whose members make solemn profession, that is, to convents which belong to an order in the strict sense of the word."
  • "All the sisters here are quite happy, and the prioress is extremely good."
  • "The prioress is so well skilled in these matters, that she has made the bargain with one of her friends, who knows it was for this house."
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