Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

episcopalism

American  
[ih-pis-kuh-puh-liz-uhm] / ɪˈpɪs kə pəˌlɪz əm /

noun

  1. the theory of church polity according to which the supreme ecclesiastical authority is vested in the episcopal order as a whole, and not in any individual except by delegation.

episcopalism British  
/ ɪˈpɪskəpəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. the belief that a Church should be governed by 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

Etymology

Origin of episcopalism

episcopal + -ism

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.