Definition
The office, rank, or position of a bishop; the state of holding the rank of bishop.
Etymology
From 'bishop' plus the Old English suffix '-ship' (meaning office, rank, or relationship), as in 'friendship,' 'leadership,' and 'membership.'
Kelly Says
The '-ship' suffix originally meant 'the state of being in a relationship' (friend-ship = the state of being a friend) and evolved to mean any rank or office, which is why we have 'authorship' and 'championship.'
Translations
AMአማርኛ
መንግሥት ቤት
men-gis-t bet
ARالعربية
إبرشية
i-bra-shee-ya
BNবাংলা
বিশপের অঞ্চল
bee-shpo-rer onchol
CSČeština
biskupství
bee-skup-stvye
DADansk
bispedømme
bee-spe-dom-me
DEDeutsch
Bischofschaft
bee-shofs-haft
ELΕλληνικά
διοίκηση
dee-oh-kee-seh
ESEspañol
obispado
oh-bee-spa-doh
FAفارسی
منطقه اسقف
mantaghe asqaf
FISuomi
piispakunta
pee-spa-kun-taa
FRFrançais
évêché
eve-shay
GUGU
બિશપનો જિલ્લો
bee-shpa-no-jil-lo
HAHA
sarkin cocin
sar-kin ko-sin
HEעברית
אפיפיוריה
e-fi-po-ree-ya
HIहिन्दी
बिशप का क्षेत्र
bee-shap ka kshetra
HUMagyar
egyházmegye
e-gyha-z-me-gye
IDBahasa Indonesia
uskupan
oos-ku-pan
IGIG
obodo bishop
oh-boh-doh bee-shop
ITItaliano
diocesi
dee-oh-cheh-zee
KMKM
ស្រុកព្រះសង្ឃ
srrok prae-ah-sang-kh
MRMR
बिशपचे क्षेत्र
bee-sha-pa-che kshetra
MSBahasa Melayu
keuskupan
ke-us-ku-pan
NLNederlands
bisdom
bee-sdom
NONorsk
bispedømme
bee-spe-dom-me
PAPA
ਬਿਸ਼ਪ ਦਾ ਖੇਤਰ
bee-shpa da khet-tar
PLPolski
diecezja
dee-tse-zja
PTPortuguês
bispado
bee-spa-doh
RORomână
episcopie
eh-pis-koh-pee-e
RUРусский
епархия
ye-par-hiya
SVSvenska
biskopsområde
bee-sko-p-om-ra-de
SWKiswahili
eneo la askofu
eh-noh la as-ko-foo
TAதமிழ்
பேராயர் பகுதி
pe-ra-ayar pa-gthi
TEతెలుగు
బిషప్ ప్రాంతం
bee-shup pra-antha-m
THไทย
อัครสังฆมณฑล
ak-sang-kha-mhan-don
TRTürkçe
piskoposluk
pee-sko-pos-luk
UKУкраїнська
єпархія
ye-par-khi-ya
VITiếng Việt
phận giáo phận
phan giao-phan
ZUZU
izwe la bishop
ee-zwe la bee-shop
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
The bishopric office has historically been restricted to men across major Christian denominations, with 'bishopship' encoding male-only institutional power.
Inclusive Usage
Use with awareness that women bishops are recent additions to many traditions; specify inclusive framing when discussing institutional leadership.
Empowerment Note
Women bishops and religious leaders fought for decades for ordination rights; their achievements represent hard-won institutional change.