What does "abbot" mean?

Abbot: One of a class of bishops whose sees were formerly abbeys. Encyc. Brit. Abbot of the people. a title formerly given to one of the chief magistrates in Genoa. -- Abbot of Misrule (or Lord of Misrule), in mediæval times, the master of revels, as at Christmas; in Scotland called the Abbot of Unreason. Encyc. Brit.

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