Bishop - Etymology, Origin & Meaning (original) (raw)
Origin and history of bishop
Old English bisceop "bishop, high priest (Jewish or pagan)," from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos "watcher, (spiritual) overseer," a title for various government officials, later taken over in a Church sense, from epi- "over" (see epi-) + skopos "one that watches, one that looks after; a guardian, protector" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Given a specific sense in the Church, but the word also was used in the New Testament as a descriptive title for elders, and continues as such in some non-hierarchical Christian sects.
A curious example of word-change, as effected by the genius of different tongues, is furnished by the English bishop and the French évêque. Both are from the same root, furnishing, perhaps the only example of two words from a common stem so modifying themselves in historical times as not to have a letter in common. (Of course many words from a far off Aryan stem are in the same condition.) The English strikes off the initial and terminal syllables, leaving only piscop, which the Saxon preference for the softer labial and hissing sounds modified into bishop. Évêque (formerly evesque) merely softens the p into v and drops the last syllable. [William S. Walsh, "Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities," Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott, 1892]
Late Latin episcopus in Spanish became obispo, in Italian vescovo, in Welsh esgob. The Germanic forms include Old Saxon biscop, Old High German biscof. Further afield it became Lithuanian vyskupas, Albanian upeshk, Finnish piispa. A once-popular pun on it was bite-sheep (1550s; it works better in German, biss-schaf). The chess piece (formerly archer, before that alfin) was so called from 1560s. As an alcoholic punch, by 1746.
Entries linking to bishop
"a bishop of the highest rank," in the West from 9c. especially of metropolitan bishops, Old English ærcebiscop, from Late Latin archiepiscopus, from Greek arkhi- "chief" (see archon) + episkopos "bishop," literally "overseer" (see bishop). Replaced earlier Old English heah biscop. The spelling was conformed to Latin from 12c.
Old English bisceoprice "diocese, province of a bishop," from bishop + rice "realm, dominion, province," from Proto-Germanic *rikja "rule" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").
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["the Bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church," c. 1200, from Old English papa (9c.), from Church Latin papa "...bishop, pope" (in classical Latin, "tutor"), from Greek papas "patriarch, bishop," originally "father" (see papa)....Applied to bishops of Asia Minor and taken as a title by the Bishop of Alexandria c. 250....In the Western Church, applied especially to the Bishop of Rome since the time of Leo the Great (440-461), the first great...](/word/pope ""the Bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church," c. 1200, from Old English papa (9c.), from Church Latin papa "...bishop, pope" (in classical Latin, "tutor"), from Greek papas "patriarch, bishop," originally "father" (see papa)....Applied to bishops of Asia Minor and taken as a title by the Bishop of Alexandria c. 250....In the Western Church, applied especially to the Bishop of Rome since the time of Leo the Great (440-461), the first great...")
[mid-14c., "bishop having general superintendency over other bishops of his province," from Late Latin metropolitanus, from...have been colonized), parent state of a colony," also "capital city," and, in Ecclesiastical Greek, "see of a metropolitan bishop...In the early church, the bishop of a municipal capital of a province or eparchy, who had general superintendence over the...In modern Catholic use, an archbishop who has bishops under his authority; in the Greek church still the bishop of a municipal...](/word/metropolitan "mid-14c., "bishop having general superintendency over other bishops of his province," from Late Latin metropolitanus, from...have been colonized), parent state of a colony," also "capital city," and, in Ecclesiastical Greek, "see of a metropolitan bishop...In the early church, the bishop of a municipal capital of a province or eparchy, who had general superintendence over the...In modern Catholic use, an archbishop who has bishops under his authority; in the Greek church still the bishop of a municipal...")
[c. 1300, "throne of a bishop, archbishop, or pope," also "throne of a monarch, a goddess, the Antichrist, etc.," from Old...Attested by early 14c. as "administrative center of a bishopric;" c. 1400 as "province under the jurisdiction of a bishop...It differs from diocese, however, in that diocese represents the territorial province for the care of which the bishop is...](/word/see "c. 1300, "throne of a bishop, archbishop, or pope," also "throne of a monarch, a goddess, the Antichrist, etc.," from Old...Attested by early 14c. as "administrative center of a bishopric;" c. 1400 as "province under the jurisdiction of a bishop...It differs from diocese, however, in that diocese represents the territorial province for the care of which the bishop is...")
[1590s, "liveliness, wit, vivacity," from French esprit "spirit, mind," from Old French espirit "spirit, soul" (12c.), from Latin spiritus "spirit" (see spirit (n.)). For initial e-, see e-. Esprit de corps, recorded from 1780 in English, preserves the usual French sense. French a](/word/esprit "1590s, "liveliness, wit, vivacity," from French esprit "spirit, mind," from Old French espirit "spirit, soul" (12c.), from Latin spiritus "spirit" (see spirit (n.)). For initial e-, see e-. Esprit de corps, recorded from 1780 in English, preserves the usual French sense. French a")
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