bishop

¹

[bish-uhp]

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.

3. 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.

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

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

verb (used with object)

bishoped, bishoping 

1. to appoint to the office of bishop.

Bishop

²

[bish-uhp]

noun

1. Elizabeth, 1911–79, U.S. poet.

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

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

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

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

bishop

¹

/ 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

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

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

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

Bishop

²

/ ˈbɪʃəp /

noun

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

Bishop

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.

bishop

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• bishopless adjective
• bishoplike adjective
• underbishop noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bishop¹

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; scope

Word History and Origins

Origin of bishop¹

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

Example Sentences

At the front of the room stood the bishop, who blessed the bread and water in Spanish before passing the trays around for the congregation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There are vocations filling traditional seminaries and religious communities in the U.S., loyal to Rome and to their local bishops.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2018, she became bishop of London, which is the third-highest role in the Church of England, becoming the first woman to hold such a senior role.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Many conservative Christians believe that only men should be consecrated as bishops.

Read more on BBC

A report made against Anthony Pierce by a university student in the 1980s reached the desk of his bishop, but the Church has found no record of him being disciplined.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• administrator 
• cleric 
• director 
• patriarch 
• pontiff 
• pope 
• prelate 
• priest