Dictionaries:
abbess:
Or: Lady-Abbess / mother-abbess , British slang term in use from the 17 th to the 19 th century for the madam of a brothel (called a nunnery) either as manager or proprietor. See madam for synonyms. Quote: John Wolcot. Odes to the Pope (1782): ' So an old Abbess, for the rattling rakes / A tempting dish of human-nature makes / And dresses up a luscious maid .'See Also: abbess, abbot, Lady Abbess, madam, mother abbess
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