abbadís

• abbatissa (obsolete)

Either (1) borrowed from Middle Low German abbadisse, from Latin abbātissa or (2) directly borrowed from Latin abbātissa (explaining the obsolete alternative form). Regardless of origin, the original ending was replaced with the feminine noun suffix -dís.

Sense 2 is likely an influence of the Icelandic Reformation and may be influenced by abbast.

• IPA^(key): /ˈapːaˌtiːs/

abbadís f (genitive singular abbadísar, nominative plural abbadísir)

1. abbess (a governess of a nunnery; roughly equal in authority over nuns as a abbot to monks)
   • 1887, Tímarit hins íslenzka bókmenntafjelags [Journal of the Icelandic Literary Society]‎^[1], Reykjavík, page 252:

     Guðný Helgadóttir var kosin abbadís eptir lát Halldóru, en eigi vígð fyr en síðar af Agli biskupi Eyjólfssyni 1332.

     Gudný Helgadóttir was elected abbess after the death of Halldóra, but was not consecrated until later by Bishop Eyjólfur Arason in 1332.

   • 1961, Guðrún P. Helgadóttir, Skáldkonur fyrri alda [Poetesses of Former Times]‎^[2], page 82:

     Var för hans þangað ráðin, og skildi Halldóra abbadís senda menn norður í móti honum um sumarið.

     His journey there was arranged, and Abbess Halldóra sent men north to meet him in the summer.

   • 2021 January 29, Illugi Jökulsson, “278. spurningaþraut: Stór höf, Rúm eru hættuleg, Noregskóngur og fræg abbadís [278. Quiz: Big heads, Beds are dangerous, King of Norway and a famous abbess]”, in Heimildin‎^[3]:

     Á 12. öld var uppi kona í Þýskalandi og var henni margt til lista lagt. Hún var guðfræðingur, nunna og abbadís, dulspekingur og prédikari, ljóðskáld og rithöfundur, náttúrufræðingur, lyfjafræðingur, myndlistarmaður og síðast en ekki síst tónskáld. Hvað hét þessi fjölhæfa kona?

     In the 12th century, there was a woman in Germany who was accomplished in many fields. She was a theologian, a nun and abbess, a mystic and preacher, a poet and writer, a naturalist, a pharmacist, an artist and, last but not least, a composer. What was the name of this versatile woman?

3. (dated) formidable, hardworking woman

• “abbadís” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), “abbadís”, in Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)