diocese
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of diocese
1300–50; Middle English diocise, diocese < Anglo-French < Late Latin diocēsis, variant of Late Latin, Latin dioecēsis, < Greek dioíkēsis housekeeping, administration, province, diocese, equivalent to dioikē-, variant stem of dioikeîn to keep house, administer, govern ( di- di- 3 + oikeîn to dwell, occupy, manage, derivative of oîkos house) + -sis -sis
Explanation
The group of churches that a bishop supervises is known as a diocese. Typically, a diocese is divided into parishes that are each overseen by a priest. The original dioceses, in ancient Rome, were political rather than religious. Rome was divided into dioceses, each of which was made up of many provinces. After Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion in the 4th century, the term gradually came to refer to religious districts. The Catholic Church has almost 3,000 dioceses. The Greek root of diocese is dioikesis, "government, administration, or province."
Vocabulary lists containing diocese
World Religions
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Human Geography - High School
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My Sister's Keeper
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Vatican announced the nomination of Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, 55, currently an auxiliary bishop in Washington, to the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in the poor mountainous state of West Virginia.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
In my five years as bishop of Joliet, our diocese went through a restructuring that required parish mergers and hard decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
A Catholic diocese in Nigeria's north-central region Thursday said that all schoolchildren and teachers taken by gunmen from their school in November have been "accounted for" and "reunited" with their families.
From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025
He estimates that around half of the families in his predominantly Hispanic diocese have someone in their household facing some sort of issue with their immigration status.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025
All forty churches and eleven rectories that make up the diocese give food and money for the effort.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
