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.
verb (used with object),bish·oped,bish·op·ing.
to appoint to the office of bishop.
Origin of bishop
before 900;Middle English;Old Englishbisc(e)op < Vulgar Latin*ebiscopus, for Late Latinepiscopus < Greekepískopos overseer, equivalent to epi-epi- + skopós watcher; see scope
Related formsbish·op·less, adjectivebish·op·like, adjectiveun·der·bish·op, noun
Bishop
[bish-uh p]
noun
Elizabeth,1911–79,U.S. poet.
HazelGladys, 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 AveryBilly, 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 ChurchSee also suffragan Related adjective: episcopal
(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
Word Origin for bishop
Old English biscop, from Late Latin epīscopus, from Greek episkopos, from epi- + skopos watcher
Bishop
noun
Elizabeth . 1911–79, US poet, who lived in Brazil. Her poetry reflects her travelling experience, esp in the tropics
Old English bisceop "bishop, high priest (Jewish or pagan)," from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos "watcher, overseer," a title for various government officials, later taken over in a Church sense, from epi- "over" (see epi-) + skopos "watcher," from skeptesthai "look at" (see scope (n.1)). Given a specific sense in the Church, but the word also was used in the New Testament as a descriptive title for elders, and continues as such in some non-hierarchical Christian sects.
A curious example of word-change, as effected by the genius of different tongues, is furnished by the English bishop and the French évêque. Both are from the same root, furnishing, perhaps the only example of two words from a common stem so modifying themselves in historical times as not to have a letter in common. (Of course many words from a far off Aryan stem are in the same condition.) The English strikes off the initial and terminal syllables, leaving only piscop, which the Saxon preference for the softer labial and hissing sounds modified into bishop. Évêque (formerly evesque) merely softens the p into v and drops the last syllable. [William S. Walsh, "Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities," Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott, 1892]
Late Latin episcopus in Spanish became obispo. Cognate with Old Saxon biscop, Old High German biscof. The chess piece (formerly archer, before that alfin) was so called from 1560s.
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.
