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episcopal

American  
[ih-pis-kuh-puhl] / ɪˈpɪs kə pəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a bishop.

    episcopal authority.

  2. based on or recognizing a governing order of bishops.

    an episcopal hierarchy.

  3. (initial capital letter) designating the Anglican Church or some branch of it, as the Episcopal Church in America.

noun

  1. (initial capital letter) an Episcopalian.

Episcopal 1 British  
/ ɪˈpɪskəpəl /

adjective

  1. belonging to or denoting the Episcopal Church

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
episcopal 2 British  
/ ɪˈpɪskəpəl /

adjective

  1. of, denoting, governed by, or relating to a bishop or bishops

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • Episcopally adverb
  • episcopally adverb
  • nonepiscopal adjective
  • nonepiscopally adverb
  • pseudoepiscopal adjective
  • quasi-episcopal adjective
  • quasi-episcopally adverb

Etymology

Origin of episcopal

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Late Latin word episcopālis. See bishop, -al 1

Vocabulary lists containing episcopal

World Religions

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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.

What an incredible controversy, that an episcopal bishop should be calling on us to have mercy and to love one another.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2025

“The Russians did not try to Russify the natives,” said the Rev. Deacon Thomas Rivas, the episcopal secretary to the Alaska Orthodox bishop.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2023

The diplomatic source said negotiations between the government and the country's Catholic bishops are ongoing over Alvarez's future, and that the formerly jailed prelate was currently at the Catholic episcopal compound in the capital.

From Reuters • Jul. 5, 2023

O’Connell became an auxiliary bishop and episcopal vicar for the archdiocese’s San Gabriel region in 2015.

From Washington Post • Feb. 19, 2023

There will not be the usual ceremonies of an episcopal visit, for this is no occasion of celebration.

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.