bishop
/ˈbɪʃəp/noun, verb
bishop is spelled B-I-S-H-O-P: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bishop means “An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bishop is bishops.
How many letters and syllables are in bishop?
| Letters | 6: B-I-S-H-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 24 times per million words; the 3,752nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bishop?
Bishop appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bishop?
- /ˈbɪʃəp/
Bishop has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bishop.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bishop
- bishops plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bishoping participle, present
- bishopping participle, present
- bishoped participle, past
- bishopped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bishop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) governing a diocese, supervising the church's priests, deacons, and property in its territory.
- 2
nonstandardA similar official or chief priest in another religion.
The Byshop of Egypt is called the Souldan.
- 3
obsoleteThe holder of the Greek or Roman position of episcopus, supervisor over the public dole of grain, etc.
- 4
obsoleteAny watchman, inspector, or overlooker.
- 5
A chief of the Festival of Fools or St. Nicholas Day.
- 6
The chess piece denoted ♗ or ♝ which moves along diagonal lines and developed from the shatranj alfil ("elephant") and was originally known as the aufil or archer in English.
The Bishoppes some name Alphins, some fooles, and some name them Princes; other some call them Archers.
- 7
Any of various African birds of the genus Euplectes; a kind of weaverbird closely related to the widowbirds.
- 8
A ladybug or ladybird, beetles of the family Coccinellidae.
verb
- 1
To act as a bishop, to perform the duties of a bishop, especially to confirm another's membership in the church.
Se bisceop biþ gesett... to bisceopgenne cild.
- 2
obsoleteTo confirm (in its other senses).
- 3
To make a bishop.
- 4
rareTo provide with bishops.
Italy would be well bishoped if her episcopacy... did not exceed fifty-nine.
- 5
UKTo permit food (especially milk) to burn while cooking (from bishops' role in the inquisition or as mentioned in the quotation below, of horses).
If the porage be burned to, or the meate ouer rosted, we say the bishop hath put his foote in the potte or the bishop hath played the cooke, because the bishops burn who they lust and whosoever displeaseth them.
- 6
To make a horse seem younger, particularly by manipulation of its teeth.
- 7
UKcolloquialobsoleteTo murder by drowning.
I Burked the papa, now I'll Bishop the son.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of bishop, particularly as a title or term of address.
- 2
A self-propelled 25-pounder vehicle produced by the United Kingdom during World War II, so called from a supposed resemblance to a bishop's miter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate bishop?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of bishop: B, Bp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bishop in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | évêque , fou |
| German | Bischof, Bischöfin , Läufer |
| Portuguese | bispo |
| Spanish | obispo , alfil, arfil |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bishop come from?
From Middle English bischop, bishop, bisshop, biscop, from Old English bisċop (“bishop”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskop, from Vulgar Latin (e)biscopus, from classical Latin episcopus (“overseer, supervisor”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, “overseer”), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”), used in Greek and Latin both generally and as a title of civil officers. Cognate with all European terms for the position in various Christian churches; compare also Middle English bisp (“bishop”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).