prelate

[prel-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prelate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an ecclesiastic of a high order, as an archbishop, bishop, etc.; a church dignitary.

Origin of prelate

1175–1225; Middle English prelat < Medieval Latin praelātus a civil or ecclesiastical dignitary, noun use of Latin praelātus (past participle of praeferre to prefer), equivalent to prae- pre- + lātus, suppletive past participle of ferre to bear¹

Related formsprel·ate·ship, nounpre·lat·ic

[pri-lat-ik] /prɪˈlæt ɪk/, adjectivenon·pre·lat·ic, adjectiveun·pre·lat·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for prelate

bishop, dignitary, cardinal, abbot, ecclesiastic, hierarch, archbishop, abbess

Examples from the Web for prelate

Contemporary Examples of prelate

It is the first time a prelate has ever been known to be arrested inside Vatican City.
Did the Vatican Arrest an Abuser to Protect Him?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 24, 2014

Historical Examples of prelate

It needed but that to add fresh fuel to the fiery mood of the prelate.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
But the prelate had kept counsel, and meant to keep it; and he looked away again.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
It certainly was a pretty situation, as the prelate remarked.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
"A more sensible thought than the other," observed the prelate.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Narcisse must have felt the sting of the prelate's delicate sarcasm.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for prelate

prelate

noun

a Church dignitary of high rank, such as a cardinal, bishop, or abbot

Derived Formsprelatic (prɪˈlætɪk) or prelatical, adjective

Word Origin for prelate

C13: from Old French prélat, from Church Latin praelātus, from Latin praeferre to hold in special esteem, prefer

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

Word Origin and History for prelate

c.1200, from Old French prelat (Modern French prélate) and directly from Medieval Latin prelatus "clergyman of high rank," from Latin praelatus "one preferred," noun use of past participle of praeferre (see prefer), from prae "before" (see pre-) + latus "borne, carried" (see oblate (n.)).