bishop

Meaning

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.
13. To act as a bishop, to perform the duties of a bishop, especially to confirm another's membership in the church.
14. To confirm (in its other senses).
15. To make a bishop.
16. To provide with bishops.
17. To permit food (especially milk) to burn while cooking (from bishops' role in the inquisition or as mentioned in the quotation below, of horses).
18. To make a horse seem younger, particularly by manipulation of its teeth.
19. To murder by drowning.
20. An English surname originating as an occupation.
21. A male given name transferred from the surname.
22. A locale in the United States.
23. A city in Inyo County, California; named for nearby Bishop Creek, itself named for early settler Samuel Addison Bishop.
24. A town in Oconee County, Georgia; named for local landowner W. H. Bishop.
25. An unincorporated community in Forest City Township, Mason County, Illinois; named for landowner Henry Bishop.
26. An unincorporated community in Worcester County, Maryland.
27. A city in Nueces County, Texas; named for landowner F. Z. Bishop.
28. An unincorporated community in Tazewell County, Virginia and McDowell County, West Virginia, located on the state line.
29. A ghost town in Whitman County, Washington; named for two early settlers.
30. Alternative letter-case form of bishop, particularly as a title or term of address.
31. 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.

Etymology / 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.

Related words

Descendant words

• superintendent(English) (cog)
• બિશપ(Gujarati) (bor)
• biṣọpu(Gun) (bor)
• pīhopa(Hawaiian) (bor)
• episkopo(Ido) (der)
• ビショップ(Japanese) (bor)
• 비숍(Korean) (bor)
• Bëschof(Luxembourgish) (cog)
• pīhopa(Māori) (bor)
• Biskop(Saterland Frisian) (cog)
• obispo(Spanish) (cog)
• บิชอป(Thai) (bor)
• bisop(Tok Pisin) (der)

Sources

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