An abbot is the man in charge of a monastery. An abbess is the female monastic equivalent of an abbott. An abbess runs an abbey.
Both would commonly be of the Catholic faith, but there are other churches that have monasteries that may refer the heads of the monastery or abbey by the same term.
A female abbot is an abbess.
The noun for a male is abbot.The noun for a female is abbess.
An Abbess is a woman, and an Abbot is a man, just like a Gander is a male goose, or a bull is a male beef cow, Abbess is the female form of the word Abbot, so of course an man cannot be an Abbess, he would be an Abbot. Just like a man cannot be a nun, he would be a monk - same thing, Abbess rules over nuns, Abbot rules over monks.
That is the correct spelling of "abbess" (the female version of an abbot).
A male of the same level as an abbess is an abbot
The word abbot does not have an opposite. The word abbess, if that is what you have in mind, is not an antonym of abbot.
an abbess
An abbot is a man. His female counterpart is an abbess.
A monastery is governed by an abbot or an abbess.
An abbotess is an alternative form of abbess, a female abbot.
An abbess is a female head of an abbey of nuns. The title for a male holding this position is abbot, though an abbot would run a monastery for men instead of an abbey for nuns.
An abbacy is the dignity, estate, term or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess.