bishopric

English

WOTD – 5 October 2008

Alternative forms

• bishoprick, bishoprike

Etymology

From Middle English bischopriche, from Old English bisċoprīċe, equivalent to bishop +‎ -ric (compare German Reich).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪʃəpɹɪk/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

Noun

bishopric (plural bishoprics)

1. A diocese or region of a church which a bishop governs.

   Synonym: diocese

   Later that year, he was appointed to the bishopric of Lindesmeere.

   • 1605, M. N. [pseudonym; William Camden], “Grave Speeches, and Wittie Apothegms of Woorthie Personages of This Realme in Former Times”, in Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine, […], London: […] G[eorge] E[ld] for Simon Waterson, →OCLC, page 220:

     Iohn Fiſher Biſhop of Rocheſter, when the King [Henry VII of England] would have tranſlated him from that poore Biſhopricke to a better, he refuſed, saying: He would not forſake his poore little olde wife, with whom he had ſo long lived.

   • 2023 June 28, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: Alton to Exeter”, in RAIL, number 986, page 59:

     Wiltshire actually comes from Wiltonshire, for Wilton was once a county town, royal residence and bishopric - a place of significance.

2. The office or function of a bishop.

Related terms

• archbishopric
• bishop

Translations

diocese

• Catalan: bisbat (ca) m
• Coptic: ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲏ (episkopē)
• Czech: biskupství (cs) n
• Danish: bispedømme (da) c, stift n, bispesæde n
• Dutch: bisdom (nl) n, diocees (nl) n, diocese (nl) f
• Finnish: hiippakunta (fi)
• French: évêché (fr) m
• German: Bistum (de) n, Diözese (de) f
• Greenlandic: biskoppeqarfik
• Hungarian: püspökség (hu)
• Icelandic: biskupsdæmi n
• Ido: episkopio (io)
• Indonesian: keuskupan (id)
• Italian: vescovato m
• Latin: dioecēsis f
• Latvian: bīskapija f
• Macedonian: епархија f (eparhija), бискупија f (biskupija)
• Malay: keuskupan, biskoprik
• Maori: pīhopatanga
• Middle English: byschopryke
• Polish: diecezja (pl) f, biskupstwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: episcopado (pt) m, bispado (pt) m
• Romanian: episcopie (ro) f
• Russian: епа́рхия (ru) f (jepárxija)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: биску̀пија f

  Roman: biskùpija (sh) f

• Skolt Sami: aa´rhelkå´dd
• Slovene: škofija (sl) f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: biskupstwo n

• Spanish: obispado (es) m
• Swedish: biskopsdöme (sv) n, biskopdöme n
• Tagalog: obispado, diyosesis (tl)
• Turkish: piskoposluk (tr)

function of being bishop

• Czech: biskupství (cs) n
• Dutch: episcopaat (nl) n
• French: épiscopat (fr) m
• Hungarian: püspökség (hu)
• Latin: episcopātus m
• Low German:

  German Low German: Bisdom n

• Macedonian: епископство n (episkopstvo), бискупство n (biskupstvo)
• Maori: pīhopatanga
• Middle English: bischopriche
• Polish: biskupstwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: episcopado (pt) m, bispado (pt) m
• Romanian: episcopat (ro)
• Swedish: biskopat n
• Tagalog: obispado

See also

• see