episcopacy means the office of bishop and the governance of a church (a religious denomination) by bishops. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
episcopacy is pronounced /ɪˈpɪskəpəsi/.
Why “episcopacy” is a great word
EPISCOPACY — [Noun] The office, system, or collective body of bishops governing a church. From Late Latin episcopātus ("office of a bishop"), from episcopus ("bishop, overseer"), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, "overseer"), from ἐπί (epí, "over") + σκοπός (skopós, "watcher"). Unlike a presbytery, which distributes authority among a council of elders, or congregationalism, which lodges final sovereignty in the local assembly, episcopacy is governance by a defined, consecrated line. It is the heavy amethyst ring on a steady hand, the slow procession of mitres down a stone-flagged nave, and the weight of centuries carried in a single crozier—the human attempt to institutionalize the watching, shepherding presence of the divine.
noun
- The office of bishop and the governance of a church (a religious denomination) by bishops.“Near-synonyms: bishopric, bishopry, bishopdom, bishopship, bishophood, archbishopric, archbishopry, archbishopdom, archbishopship, archbishophood”
- Bishops collectively: Synonym of episcopate.“Near-synonyms: bishopric, bishopry, bishopdom, bishopship, archbishopric, archbishopry, archbishopdom, archbishopship”