abba

Definition

Father; religious superior; in the Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic churches, a title given to the bishops, and by the bishops to the patriarch; a title given to Jewish scholars in the Talmudic period.

Etymology

From Middle English, from Latin, from Ancient Greek, from Aramaic אבא/ܐܒܐ (ʼaḇā, “father”); see abbot.

Example Sentences

• "The abba of the coenobion went to him and told him about the brother who had slipped up."