bishop

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablereligion

   A senior Christian clergyman in charge of a district called a diocese and the priests within it.

   Grammar: Often used as a title with a capital letter: Bishop Taylor.

   Patterns

   • the Bishop of somewhere
   • Bishop + name

   The bishop visited the village church to bless the new bell.

   She was appointed Bishop of Bristol last spring.

   Several bishops signed a letter urging action on poverty.

2. 2nouncountablespecialist

   A chess piece that can move any distance along a diagonal and so always stays on squares of one color.

   Grammar: Each player starts with two bishops.

   Patterns

   • move a bishop
   • capture a bishop

   He lost his bishop when she took it with a pawn.

   A bishop and a knight together can trap a lone king.

   Her bishop swept across the board to attack the queen.

Word forms

Common combinations

appoint a bishop

The church will appoint a bishop later this year.

archbishop

The archbishop spoke at the funeral.

bishop's palace

The bishop's palace is now a museum.

move the bishop

Move the bishop diagonally to threaten the rook.

sacrifice a bishop

He sacrificed a bishop to open up the king's side.

diocesan bishop

The diocesan bishop oversees all the parishes in the area.

Synonyms and how they differ

prelate

Prelate is a formal term for a high-ranking church official and is wider than bishop.

cleric

Cleric covers any member of the clergy, while bishop names a specific senior rank.

diocesan

Diocesan as a noun is a rare formal word meaning the bishop of a particular diocese.

Word family

bishopric noun

the office or district of a bishop

archbishop noun

a bishop of the highest rank in a region

episcopal adjective

relating to bishops or governed by them

bishophood noun

the rank or office of a bishop, rare

Commonly confused: bishop or knight?

Practice

Make it your own

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