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Glite Dictionary
prelacy

prelacy

9.9
A system where bishops and senior leaders lead the church
  • noun
  • /ˈprɛləsi/
  • Formal
translation icon : prelatura
  • The truth is that, without the intervention of the Catholic Prelacy, that crisis of influenza and misery would have done away with the last Wari of Ribeirao (Gomez de Arruda n.d.: 6; emphasis in the original).

Examples

  • The church's decision to adopt a new prelacy system led to significant changes in its governance.

  • When the university was founded, it was expected that English Puritan families would send their sons to the colonies rather than expose them to the "prelacy" and "temptation to lewdness" prevalent at Oxford or Cambridge.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Many criticized the prelacy for its influence over political affairs in the country.

  • The prelacy of the diocese met regularly to discuss important issues affecting their congregations.

Synonyms

church leadership
vsprelacy
2 3.6

People who guide and manage a church and its members

focuses on formal government by senior officials rather than everyday guidance
prelature
vsprelacy
  • Jargon
1 9.9

An office, rank, or group of senior church leaders in the Catholic Church

is the broader system of church government led by senior officials
ecclesiarchy
vsprelacy
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of church leaders who make official decisions

is the system specifically run by senior officials rather than general church leaders
hierocracy
vsprelacy
9.9

A government run by religious leaders like priests

refers instead to internal church government by senior officials not state rule

Surface Forms

prelacy singular
prelacys plural

Morphology

prelacy = prelate (semi-transparent) = prelate + acy

Formed from 'prelate' + the productive suffix '-acy', but the loss of the medial 'te' and antiquated register may obscure the relation for many learners.

Etymology

Prelacy comes from prelate, which goes back to the Latin part prae- meaning 'before', and a root meaning 'placed', so a prelate was someone 'placed before' others because of rank; that's why prelacy is the office or system of those high church leaders.