episcopate

[ ih-pis-kuh-pit, -peyt ]

noun

1. the office and dignity of a bishop; bishopric.
2. the order or body of bishops.
3. the incumbency of a bishop.
4. the diocese of a bishop.

episcopate

/ ɪˈpɪskəpɪt; -ˌpeɪt /

noun

1. the office, status, or term of office of a bishop
2. bishops collectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of episcopate¹

First recorded in 1635–45, episcopate is from the Late Latin word episcopātus the office of a bishop. See bishop, -ate ³

Example Sentences

"The Vatican has some problems in its communications with the French episcopate," the editorial said.

From Reuters

The Polish episcopate and local bishop acknowledged the burning, but declined to comment, AFP reported.

From Fox News

The letter, dated Jan. 1, is Pope Francis’ most explicit acknowledgment yet of the tensions between him and the U.S. episcopate.

From Wall Street Journal

It was painful, he wrote, to watch “an episcopate lacking in unity and concentrated more on pointing fingers than on seeking paths of reconciliation.”

From Los Angeles Times

He said Orthodox unity could be preserved only through the “resistance of our people, our clergy, our episcopate, to every mean trick, to every heresy, to every schism”.

From Reuters

Related Words

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