Abbé  Abbé (from Latin "abbas", in turn from Greek , "abbas", from Aramaic "abba", a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of "abh", "father") is the French word for "abbot". It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France. A concordat between Pope Leo X and King Francis I of France (1516), gave the kings of France the right to nominate 255 commendatory abbots ("abbés commendataires") for almost all French abbeys, who received income from a monastery without needing to render service. From the mid-16th century, the title "abbé" has been used in France for all young clergymen with or without consecration. Their clothes consisted of a black or dark violet robes with a small collar; they were tonsured. Since such "abbés" only rarely commanded an abbey, they often worked in upper-class families as tutors, spiritual directors, etc.; some (such as Gabriel Bonnot de Mably) became writers.