bishop

[ bish-uhp ]
See synonyms for bishop on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who supervises a number of local churches or a diocese, being in the Greek, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other churches a member of the highest order of the ministry.

  2. a spiritual supervisor, overseer, or the like.

  1. Chess. one of two pieces of the same color that may be moved any unobstructed distance diagonally, one on white squares and the other on black.

  2. a hot drink made of port wine, oranges, cloves, etc.

  3. Also called bishop bird . any of several colorful African weaverbirds of the genus Euplectes, often kept as pets.

verb (used with object),bish·oped, bish·op·ing.
  1. to appoint to the office of bishop.

Origin of bishop

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English bisc(e)op<Vulgar Latin *ebiscopus, for Late Latin episcopus<Greek epískopos overseer, equivalent to epi-epi- + skopós watcher; see scope

Other words from bishop

  • bish·op·less, adjective
  • bish·op·like, adjective
  • un·der·bish·op, noun

Words Nearby bishop

Other definitions for Bishop (2 of 2)

Bishop
[ bish-uhp ]

noun
  1. Elizabeth, 1911–79, U.S. poet.

  2. Hazel Gladys, 1906–1998, U.S. chemist and businesswoman.

  1. John Peale, 1892–1944, U.S. poet and essayist.

  2. Morris (Gilbert), 1893–1973, U.S. humorist, poet, and biographer.

  3. William Avery "Billy", 1894–1956, Canadian aviator: helped to establish Canadian air force.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bishop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bishop (1 of 2)

bishop

/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /


noun
  1. (in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Greek Orthodox Churches) a clergyman having spiritual and administrative powers over a diocese or province of the Church: See also suffragan Related adjective: episcopal

  2. (in some Protestant Churches) a spiritual overseer of a local church or a number of churches

  1. a chesspiece, capable of moving diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares of the same colour

  2. mulled wine, usually port, spiced with oranges, cloves, etc

Origin of bishop

1
Old English biscop, from Late Latin epīscopus, from Greek episkopos, from epi- + skopos watcher

British Dictionary definitions for Bishop (2 of 2)

Bishop

/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /


noun
  1. Elizabeth . 1911–79, US poet, who lived in Brazil. Her poetry reflects her travelling experience, esp in the tropics

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Bishop

Bishop

[ bĭshəp ]


  1. American molecular biologist who, working with Harold Varmus, discovered oncogenes. For this work, Bishop and Varmus shared the 1989 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for bishop

bishop

In some Christian churches, a person appointed to oversee a group of priests or ministers and their congregations. In the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, bishops are considered the successors of the Twelve Apostles.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.