mother superior

IPA/ˌmʌðə suːˈpɪəriə(r)/
IPA/ˌmʌðər suːˈpɪriər/

mother superior — noun

1. a senior nun who leads and takes responsibility for all the other nuns living to

1.nounC1
Definition

a senior nun who leads and takes responsibility for all the other nuns living together in one religious house.

Example

Folake knelt before the mother superior to ask permission to leave the convent.

title used with the/a before it

The young nuns obeyed the mother superior without question during morning prayers.

subject is the leader of a religious house

Common collocations
  • strict mother superior
  • the convent's mother superior
  • become mother superior
Synonyms
  • abbess

    the formal title for the head of an abbey of nuns; more specific to certain orders

  • prioress

    the head of a priory of nuns, often ranking just below an abbess

Usage Note

Often used as a title directly before or in place of a name, like 'Mother Superior Teresa' or simply 'Mother Superior'. The role exists only within a convent of women, so the subject is always female.

Common Mistakes

He was made the mother superior of the monastery.
He was made the abbot of the monastery.
a mother superior leads nuns, so the holder is always a woman; the male equivalent is an abbot.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three name a woman who leads a community of nuns, but they differ in formality and rank. 'Mother superior' is the everyday term and works as a respectful title you can use directly, as in 'Yes, Mother Superior.' 'Abbess' is the formal title for the head of an abbey, a larger and more independent house, and carries more authority within the wider order. 'Prioress' usually names the head of a priory, a smaller house, and in some orders ranks just below an abbess. In casual speech most people say mother superior; in church documents or histories you are more likely to read abbess or prioress. For example, a newspaper might call her 'the mother superior of the local convent', while a formal record would list her as 'the abbess of St Hilda's'.

mother superior ↗abbessprioress ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The phrase joins 'mother', long used as a respectful term for a senior nun, with 'superior', from Latin 'superior' meaning 'higher in rank'. In religious houses 'superior' came to name the person placed above the others, so a 'mother superior' is literally the female head set over the rest of the community.