The word that best defines the italicized word, abbot in the given sentence is cleric.
<h3>Who is an abbot?</h3>
An abbot is described as the head of a monastery. For one to be regarded as the head of a monastery, he has to be a cleric. Abbot is a noun. Synonyms for abbot are monk, minister, friar.
The dress is said to have whispered. Dresses can not actually whisper, so it is personnification. Personification is taking an inanimate thing and giving it a human characteristic.