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.
a spiritual supervisor, overseer, or the like.
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.
a hot drink made of port wine, oranges, cloves, etc.
Also called bishop bird. any of several colorful African weaverbirds of the genus Euplectes, often kept as pets.
Elizabeth, 1911–79, U.S. poet.
Hazel Gladys, 1906–1998, U.S. chemist and businesswoman.
John Peale, 1892–1944, U.S. poet and essayist.
Morris (Gilbert), 1893–1973, U.S. humorist, poet, and biographer.
William Avery Billy, 1894–1956, Canadian aviator: helped to establish Canadian air force.
(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
(in some Protestant Churches) a spiritual overseer of a local church or a number of churches
a chesspiece, capable of moving diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares of the same colour
mulled wine, usually port, spiced with oranges, cloves, etc
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
A bishop is a religious authority figure in some Christian churches. In many churches, a bishop ordains, or appoints, ministers and priests. In Christian traditions ranging from Roman Catholic to Lutheran, bishops play an important role in church oversight. In many orthodox and Catholic churches, bishops are believed to be the successors to the original twelve apostles from the Bible's New Testament. The chess piece called the bishop comes from this religious figure, and the word itself comes from the Greek episkopos, "watcher or overseer."
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Menjivar-Ayala, who is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, was ordained as a priest in 2004 and became a bishop in 2023.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Neither of them made any substantive changes to core Roman Catholic doctrine, but when you’re the bishop of Rome and the head of the world’s largest single religious denomination, practice matters more than theory.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
The bishop has been released on conditional bail.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
As he arrived and left the court, he smiled at family and supporters including his wife, Teresa Lai, and Cardinal Joseph Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
If I cannot trust this kindly-seeming bishop, what man can I trust?
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
