antibishop means A pretender to the episcopal office, such as a bishop appointed by an antipope. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why “antibishop” is a great word
ANTIBISHOP — [Noun] A pretender to the episcopal office, such as a bishop appointed by an antipope. This 18th-century back-formation from antipope joins anti- (“against, opposing”) with bishop. Unlike an antipope (a pretender to the See of Rome) or an archbishop (a legitimate metropolitan authority), an antibishop is a secondary figure of contested legitimacy, a schism made local. He is the rival seal on a disputed charter, the consecration performed in a shadow chapel, the man who blesses empty pews—the ecclesiastical proof that no power is so sacred it cannot breed its own inverse.
noun
- A pretender to the episcopal office, such as a bishop appointed by an antipope.