episcopal

See also: Episcopal and épiscopal

English

Etymology

From Middle English episcopal, from Late Latin episcopālis, from Latin episcopus, from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, “watchman, overseer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈpɪs.kə.pl̩/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

episcopal (comparative more episcopal, superlative most episcopal)

1. Of or relating to the affairs of a bishop in various Christian churches.
   • 1845, William Palmer, Origines Liturgicae, or, Antiquities of the English Ritual: And a Dissertation on Primitive Liturgies‎^[1], 4th edition, volume 2, London: Francis & John Rivington, →OCLC, page 310:

     Inthronization, in ancient times, immediately succeeded the rite of consecration; the new bishop being honourably placed in his episcopal chair by the prelates assembled for his consecration.

Derived terms

• alternative episcopal oversight
• antiepiscopal
• episcopally
• nonepiscopal
• unepiscopal

Related terms

• episcopacy
• episcopalian
• Episcopalian
• Episcopalianism
• episcopy

Translations

related to a bishop

• Armenian: եպիսկոպոսյան (episkoposyan)
• Czech: episkopální (cs), biskupský (cs) m
• Danish: episkopal, biskoppelig
• Dutch: bisschoppelijk (nl), episcopaal (nl)
• Esperanto: episkopa (eo)
• Finnish: episkopaalinen (fi)
• French: épiscopal (fr) m
• Galician: episcopal (gl)
• German: bischöflich (de)
• Greek: επισκοπικός (el) m (episkopikós)
• Hungarian: püspöki (hu), episzkopális (hu)
• Icelandic: biskuplegur, biskupa-
• Ido: episkopala (io)
• Italian: episcopale (it), vescovile
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: episkopal, biskoppelig

  Nynorsk: episkopal, biskoppeleg

• Polish: biskupi (pl)
• Portuguese: episcopal (pt), bispal
• Russian: епископский (ru) (jepiskopskij), епископальный (ru) (jepiskopalʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: easbaigeach
• Spanish: episcopal (es)
• Swedish: episkopal (sv), biskoplig

See also

• episcope (unrelated)

Anagrams

• coapplies

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin episcopālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [ə.pis.kuˈpal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ə.pis.koˈpal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [e.pis.koˈpal]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

episcopal m or f (masculine and feminine plural episcopals)

1. episcopal

Further reading

• “episcopal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “episcopal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “episcopal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “episcopal”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos)bor.

Latin episcopus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Late Latin episcopālisbor.

Portuguese episcopal

Borrowed from Late Latin episcopālis.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /e.pis.koˈpaw/ [e.pis.koˈpaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /e.pis.koˈpaw/ [e.pis.koˈpaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /e.piʃ.koˈpaw/ [e.piʃ.koˈpaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.piʃ.kuˈpal/ [i.piʃ.kuˈpaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.piʃ.kuˈpal/ [i.piʃ.kuˈpaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.piʃ.kuˈpa.li/

• Hyphenation: e‧pis‧co‧pal

Adjective

episcopal m or f (plural episcopais)

1. (ecclesiastical) episcopal (relating to bishops)

Further reading

• “episcopal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “episcopal”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French épiscopal and Latin episcopālis. Equivalent to episcop +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌe.pis.koˈpal/

Adjective

episcopal m or n (feminine singular episcopală, masculine plural episcopali, feminine/neuter plural episcopale)

1. episcopal

Declension

Declension of episcopal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	episcopal		episcopală	episcopali	episcopale
	definite	episcopalul		episcopala	episcopalii	episcopalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	episcopal		episcopale	episcopali	episcopale
	definite	episcopalului		episcopalei	episcopalilor	episcopalelor

Related terms

• arhiepiscop
• episcop
• episcopie

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos)bor.

Latin episcopus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Late Latin episcopālisbor.

Spanish episcopal

Borrowed from Late Latin episcopālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /episkoˈpal/ [e.pis.koˈpal]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: e‧pis‧co‧pal

Adjective

episcopal m or f (masculine and feminine plural episcopales)

1. episcopal

Derived terms

• arquiepiscopal
• episcopalmente

Further reading

• “episcopal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025