A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the monks.

plural of abbess

(rare, obsolete, euphemistic) A bawd, the mistress of a brothel.

plural of lady abbess

plural of Covent Garden abbess

(archaic, British slang) A procuress; a woman who procures customers for prostitutes.