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Abbey vs Ab - What's the difference?

abbey | ab |

As nouns the difference between abbey and ab

is that abbey is the office or dominion of an abbot or abbess while ab is abdominal muscle.

As proper nouns the difference between abbey and ab

is that abbey is {{given name|female|diminutive=Abigail}} while Ab is av.

As an abbreviation AB is

alberta, a province of Canada.

As an initialism AB is

able seaman; able-bodied seaman.

abbey

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The office or dominion of an abbot or abbess.
  • A monastery or society of people, secluded from the world and devoted to religion and celibacy, which is headed by an abbot or abbess; also, the monastic building or buildings.
    • From 1199 to 1203 William Punchard was the abbot of the abbey of Rievaulx, which was part of the Cistercian order of monks.
  • The church of a monastery.
  • (UK) A residence that was previously an abbatial building.
  • (capitalized) In London, the Abbey is short for Westminster Abbey, and in Scotland, the precincts of the Abbey of Holyrood.

    • Related terms

    * abbeystead * archabbey * archabbot

    See also

    * cloister * convent * friary * monastery * nunnery * priory

    References

    *

    ab

    English

    (wikipedia ab)

    Etymology 1

    Abbreviation of (abdominal) (muscles).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) abdominal muscle.
  • * 2006 , H. Peter Steeves, The Things Themselves (page 75)
    • The bikinied models in most of the ESPN2 shows have abs . Many of the malnourished bikinied models in the commercials have visible rib cages. How did the two get conflated into a shared vision of beauty?
  • * 2010 , Bill Geiger, "6-pack Abs in 9 Weeks", Reps! 17:106
    • When possible, do your ab workout on a day when you're not training a major muscle group.
    Usage notes
    Most often used attributively. Substantive use is more common in the plural form (abs).

    Etymology 2

    Abbreviation of (abscess).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) An abscess caused by injecting an illegal drug, usually heroin.

    • Etymology 3

    Abbreviations, see definitions.