bishop

noun bish·op \ ˈbi-shəp \

Definition of bishop

1 :one having spiritual or ecclesiastical supervision: such as

a :an Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic clergyman ranking above a priest, having authority to ordain and confirm, and typically governing a diocese

b :any of various Protestant clerical officials who superintend other clergy

c :a Mormon high priest presiding over a ward or over all other bishops and over the Aaronic priesthood

2 :either of two pieces of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move diagonally across any number of adjoining unoccupied squares

3 :mulled port wine flavored with oranges and cloves

See bishop defined for English-language learners

See bishop defined for kids

Examples of bishop in a Sentence

the Bishop of New York

Recent Examples of bishop from the Web

The bishops and cardinals are all over the place—including the White House.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Fox News Host Dismisses Racism as a Problem, Immediately Says Something Racist," 14 Aug. 2017
The painting was among a dozen art pieces given as a gift to the first Bishop Edward D. Fenwick, the first bishop of Cincinnati, from Cardinal Fesch, the uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte.

— jeff suess, Cincinnati.com, "Our History: Storied cathedral noted for its architecture," 26 July 2017
The Orlando gathering was described by at least one bishop as a World Youth Day for adults.

— kathryn jean lopez, National Review, "Enough with ‘That Same Old Love’," 17 July 2017
The Rev. Chilton Knudsen, the assistant bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, will lead the blessing of the organ.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "St. John's Episcopal in Havre de Grace celebrates restoration work," 6 July 2017
The normal retirement age for bishops is 75.Francis could have kept him on, but declined to do so.

— nicole winfield, Time, "Pope Francis Appoints New Doctrine Chief to Replace Cardinal Mueller," 1 July 2017
The problem was that none of the other priests in Juárez wanted to work at the migrant shelter, so the bishop required him to stay.

— alice driver, Longreads, "Father of Migrants," 30 June 2017
In addition, Francis drew heated criticism for his 2015 appointment of a Chilean bishop accused by victims of helping cover up for Chile's most notorious pedophile.

— Bloomberg.com, "Australian Police Charge Top Vatican Cardinal With Historical Sex Offenses," 29 June 2017
Francis also scrapped the commission's signature proposal — a tribunal section to hear cases of bishops who covered up for abuse — after Vatican officials objected.

— nicole winfield and kristen gelineau, chicagotribune.com, "Cardinal George Pell takes leave from Vatican after sex assault charges," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bishop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Old English word bisceop, from which we get our English word bishop, comes from the Latin word episcopus. Like many other Latin words connected with religion and the church, this was borrowed from Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written. The Greek word episkopos, meaning “overseer,” was first used for officials in government, and later came to be used for church leaders. In the Bible, bishop and priest were used to identify the same thing. It was much later when a bishop became overseer of a large district, or diocese.

Origin and Etymology of bishop

Middle English bisshop, from Old English bisceop, from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos, literally, overseer, from epi- + skeptesthai to look — more at spy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Bishop

biographical name Bish·op \ ˈbi-shəp \

Definition of Bishop

Elizabeth 1911–1979 American poet

Bishop

biographical name

Definition of Bishop

John Michael 1936– American microbiologist

BISHOP Defined for English Language Learners

bishop

noun

Definition of bishop for English Language Learners

: an official in some Christian religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical area
: a piece in the game of chess that moves across the board at an angle

BISHOP Defined for Kids

bishop

noun bish·op \ ˈbi-shəp \

Definition of bishop for Students

1 :a member of the clergy of high rank

2 :a piece in the game of chess

History for bishop

The original duty of a bishop was to watch over the members of a church as a shepherd watches over a flock. Appropriately, the word bishop comes ultimately from a Greek word, episkopos, that means literally “overseer”: the prefix epi- means “on” or “over,” and the second part -skopos means “watcher.” The pronunciation of the word was changed when it was borrowed from Greek into Latin, and further changed when it was borrowed into Old English. In Old English it was spelled bisceop but probably sounded quite a bit like the modern word bishop.