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archbishop

archbishop

31 7.2
A senior bishop who leads a large church area in some Christian churches
  • noun
  • /ˈɑrʧˌbɪʃəp/
translation icon : arzobispo
  • And the most significant of the new bishops to emerge was the new Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift.
  • archbishop and bishop
  • new archbishop
  • visited the archbishop

Think for example, Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa.

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Examples

  • In his previous capacity as archbishop of Byblos, he voiced deep concern over Hezbollah's arsenal.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Because every coronation needs a bishop or archbishop to set the crown on the king's head.

    Blog text (11)
  • It's the archbishop of canterbury.

  • - Your Majesty, the archbishop has arrived.

  • I have a letter of introduction to the archbishop of Canterbury from Bishop St. James in Washington.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • George was summoned to a meeting with the archbishop within the hour.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The cardinal archbishop of Mechlin-Brussels played a major role during the council.

    Academic text (2008)
  • He was protected by the Archbishop George Carey, who is now Lord George Carey.

  • I didn't know the Archbishop of Canterbury, strangely enough, because not because I live in Canterbury, but because he writes poems.

  • The archbishop of Canterbury attended the royal wedding to bless the couple.

Synonyms

prelate
vsarchbishop
  • Jargon
12 9.1

A senior church leader who has authority over other clergy

is the highest ranking bishop responsible specifically for a key district
primate
vsarchbishop
  • Formal
6 9.8

A senior bishop who is in charge of other bishops in a country or region

is the highest ranking bishop leading a significant local district
metropolitan
vsarchbishop
  • Formal
2 9.9

A bishop who has power over other bishops in some churches

is the highest ranking bishop who leads an important district
exarch
vsarchbishop
  • Specialized
9.9

A senior bishop who has power over other bishops in a region

is the highest ranking bishop who heads an important district not subordinate
eparch
vsarchbishop
9.9

A bishop who leads a church area in the Eastern Church

is the highest ranking bishop who leads a major district in general church structures

Compounds

A person who tells silly, clearly untrue stories

How Senior

cardinal
50 8.4
archbishop
31 7.2
bishop
210 3.9
priest
1.0
deacon
31 7.4

Surface Forms

archbishop singular
archbishops plural

Morphology

archbishop = bishop (transparent) = arch + bishop

The prefix 'arch-' meaning 'chief' + 'bishop' yields the literal meaning 'chief bishop', which is directly guessable.

Etymology

The word archbishop is made of arch- meaning 'chief', as in archenemy, and bishop meaning 'church leader' or 'overseer'. So an archbishop is the 'chief' bishop who is in charge of a large area.