Added 9 October 2026
bishop
/ˈbɪʃəp/ noun
In Latin: episcopus, episcopa Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bishop at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ.
- Port wine mulled with oranges and cloves.
- (chess) a piece that can be moved diagonally over unoccupied squares of the same color.
Origin
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”). * The Tyndale Bible uses native English overseer instead.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)