bishop Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
  2. noun port wine mulled with oranges and cloves
  3. noun (chess) a piece that can be moved diagonally over unoccupied squares of the same color

WordNet

Bish"op noun
Etymology
OE. bischop, biscop, bisceop, AS. bisceop, biscop, L. episcopus overseer, superintendent, bishop, fr. Gr. , over + inspector, fr. root of , , to look to, perh. akin to L. specere to look at. See Spy, and cf. Episcopal.
Definitions
  1. A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director.
    Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Pet. ii. 25.
    It is a fact now generally recognized by theologians of all shades of opinion, that in the language of the New Testament the same officer in the church is called indifferently "bishop" ( ) and "elder" or "presbyter." J. B. Lightfoot.
  2. In the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican or Protestant Episcopal churches, one ordained to the highest order of the ministry, superior to the priesthood, and generally claiming to be a successor of the Apostles. The bishop is usually the spiritual head or ruler of a diocese, bishopric, or see.
  3. In the Methodist Episcopal and some other churches, one of the highest church officers or superintendents.
  4. A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a bishop's miter; -- formerly called archer.
  5. A beverage, being a mixture of wine, oranges or lemons, and sugar. Swift.
  6. An old name for a woman's bustle. U. S.
    If, by her bishop, or her "grace" alone, A genuine lady, or a church, is known. Saxe.
Bish"op transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Bishoped present participle & verbal noun Bishoping
Definitions
  1. To admit into the church by confirmation; to confirm; hence, to receive formally to favor.
Bish"op transitive verb
Etymology
From the name of the scoundrel who first practiced it. Youatt.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Bishoped present participle & verbal noun Bishoping
Definitions
  1. (Far.) To make seem younger, by operating on the teeth; as, to bishop an old horse or his teeth. The plan adopted is to cut off all the nippers with a saw to the proper length, and then with a cutting instrument the operator scoops out an oval cavity in the corner nippers, which is afterwards burnt with a hot iron until it is black. J. H. Walsh.

Webster 1913