English Explanatory Dictionary

bishop

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) governing a diocese, supervising the church's priests, deacons, and property in its territory.
  2. A similar official or chief priest in another religion.
  3. The holder of the Greek or Roman position of episcopus, supervisor over the public dole of grain, etc.
  4. Any watchman, inspector, or overlooker.
  5. A chief of the Festival of Fools or St. Nicholas Day.
  6. The chess piece denoted ♗ or ♝ which moves along diagonal lines and developed from the shatranj alfil ("elephant") and was originally known as the aufil or archer in English.
  7. Any of various African birds of the genus Euplectes; a kind of weaverbird closely related to the widowbirds.
  8. A ladybug or ladybird, beetles of the family Coccinellidae.
  9. A flowering plant of the genus Bifora.
  10. A sweet drink made from wine, usually with oranges, lemons, and sugar; mulled and spiced port.
  11. A bustle.
  12. A children's smock or pinafore.
verb
  1. To act as a bishop, to perform the duties of a bishop, especially to confirm another's membership in the church.
  2. To confirm (in its other senses).
  3. To make a bishop.
  4. To provide with bishops.
  5. To permit food (especially milk) to burn while cooking (from bishops' role in the inquisition or as mentioned in the quotation below, of horses).
  6. To make a horse seem younger, particularly by manipulation of its teeth.
verb
  1. To murder by drowning.
name
  1. An English surname originating as an occupation.
  2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. A locale in the United States.
  4. A city in Inyo County, California; named for nearby Bishop Creek, itself named for early settler Samuel Addison Bishop.
  5. A town in Oconee County, Georgia; named for local landowner W. H. Bishop.
  6. An unincorporated community in Forest City Township, Mason County, Illinois; named for landowner Henry Bishop.
  7. An unincorporated community in Worcester County, Maryland.
  8. A city in Nueces County, Texas; named for landowner F. Z. Bishop.
  9. An unincorporated community in Tazewell County, Virginia and McDowell County, West Virginia, located on the state line.
  10. A ghost town in Whitman County, Washington; named for two early settlers.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of bishop, particularly as a title or term of address.
  2. A self-propelled 25-pounder vehicle produced by the United Kingdom during World War II, so called from a supposed resemblance to a bishop's miter.

Pronunciation

bĭsh'əp /ˈbɪʃəp/ En-us-bishop.ogg

Word forms

bishop bishops byshop bishoping bishopping bishoped bishopped Bishopp

Etymology

From Middle English bischop, bishop, bisshop, biscop, from Old English bisċop (“bishop”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskop, from Vulgar Latin (e)biscopus, from classical Latin episcopus (“overseer, supervisor”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, “overseer”), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”), used in Greek and Latin both generally and as a title of civil officers. Cognate with all European terms for the position in various Christian churches; compare also Middle English bisp (“bishop”).

Synonyms

diocesan bishop suffragan bishop ordinary hierarch consecrator

Related words

Bp. bishopess episcopal Episcopalian episcopate bishopric your Excellency my Lord my Lord Bishop Right Reverend see catholicon katholikon sobor alb amice biretta buskins cappa magna cassalb cassock chasuble choir dress cope dalmatic epimanikia episcopal gloves episcopal sandals epitrachil mantya mitre omophor phelonion rochet sakkos sticharion stole tunicle vestment zucchetto cathedra crozier dikirion engolpion epigonation episcopal ring fashia maniple orletz panagia pectoral cross trikirion zone your Grace diocese bugia Most Reverend cathedral ♗ ♝

Derived words

Bishop Angola black bishop bishop-bird bishop bird black bishop black-winged red bishop Cape bishop fire-crowned bishop fire-fronted bishop golden-backed bishop northern black bishop northern red bishop orange bishop red bishop southern black bishop southern red bishop yellow bishop yellow-crowned bishop Zanzibar red bishop abbot-bishop antibishop archbishop assistant-bishop assistant bishop as the actress said to the bishop auxiliary bishop bad bishop bash the bishop beat the bishop Bishop Auckland Bishop Barker Bishop Burton bishop-coadjutor bishop coadjutor bishop-commissioner bishop-designate bishop-designed bishopdom bishop-elect bishop emeritus bishopess bishopful bishophood bishoping bishopist bishopless bishoplet bishoplike bishopling bishoply Bishop Monkton bishop of Rome bishop pawn bishopric bishoprick Bishopric of the Forces Bishop's Bible Bishops' Bible Bishops Cannings Bishop's Castle

Translations

Abkhaz: аҷҟәандар Afrikaans: biskop Albanian: peshkop Albanian: upeshk Arabic: أُسْقُف Armenian: եպիսկոպոս Old Armenian: եպիսկոպոս Asturian: obispu Azerbaijani: yepiskop Belarusian: епі́скап Belarusian: бі́скуп Bengali: বিশপ Central Bikol: obispo Breton: eskob Bulgarian: епи́скоп Bulgarian: влади́ка Catalan: bisbe Cebuano: obispo Chinese Cantonese: 主教 Chinese: 主教 Chinese Mandarin: 主教 Coptic: ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ Czech: biskup Dalmatian: pascu Danish: biskop Danish: bisp Dutch: bisschop Esperanto: episkopo Esperanto: episkopino Estonian: piiskop Faroese: biskupur Faroese: bispur Finnish: piispa Franco-Provençal: èvèque French: évêque Saterland Frisian: Biskop Friulian: vescul Galician: bispo Georgian: ეპისკოპოსი German: Bischof German: Bischöfin Greek: επίσκοπος Ancient Greek: ἐπίσκοπος Haitian Creole: evèk Hawaiian: pīhopa Hebrew: בִּישׁוֹף Hindi: बिशप Hindi: धर्माध्यक्ष
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