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.
Born in El Salvador, Menjivar-Ayala migrated to the United States in 1990, according to a biography on the Washington diocese website.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
The two men share a concern for ecology and a passion for sport, according to the diocese of Monaco.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 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
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.
