episcopal

1 of 2

adjective

epis·​co·​pal i-ˈpi-skə-pəl How to pronounce episcopal (audio)
-bəl
1
: of or relating to a bishop
2
: of, having, or constituting government by bishops
3
capitalized : of or relating to the Protestant Episcopal Church representing the Anglican communion in the U.S.
episcopally adverb

Episcopal

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Established and state-regulated by the late fourth century, Christian sanctuary was based in episcopal intercession and penitential discipline; it was intended to spare the body the worst consequences of crime and thereby to save the soul from the everlasting implications of sin. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, The New York Review of Books, 3 Nov. 2020 While Barron's episcopal office concerns his parishes in Minnesota — where he is already widely known — his public influence stretches around the world via his books, videos, radio shows and documentaries with his Word on Fire ministries. Fox News, 28 Aug. 2022 Whitehead got out of the car, wearing a Fendi blazer and a large episcopal ruby ring. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2023 These prohibitions weren’t very effective; a thousand years later, astrologers were active at the papal and episcopal courts, and within the entourages of numerous Christian rulers. Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 6 Jan. 2023 Pope Francis' episcopal philosophy has become more complicated than ever as the leader once commonly thought of as a solid progressive has become harder to categorize. Fox News, 21 July 2022 All this made Cromwell a hero in the eyes of later Protestant Nonconformists, who admired him for his hostility to an episcopal church and for his championing of religious toleration. Keith Thomas, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 The ongoing invasion has spurred Orthodox bishops to separate from the patriarchate of Moscow and begin operating autocephalous episcopal sees. Fox News, 4 June 2022 Pilla would apologize, but the scandal would be the most painful time of his episcopal ministry. David Briggs, cleveland, 21 Sep. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'episcopal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin episcopalis, from episcopus bishop — more at bishop

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1752, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of episcopal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near episcopal

Cite this Entry

“Episcopal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/episcopal. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

episcopal

adjective
epis·​co·​pal i-ˈpis-kə-pəl How to pronounce episcopal (audio)
1
: of or relating to a bishop or episcopacy
2
capitalized : of or relating to the Protestant Episcopal Church
episcopally adverb
Etymology

Adjective

derived from Latin episcopus "bishop," from Greek episkopos, literally, "overseer," from epi- "over" and skopos "watcher, goal, object" — related to bishop, horoscope, scope see Word History at bishop

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!