bishopdom

English

Etymology

From Middle English bischopdom, from Old English bisċopdōm, bisċeopdōm, bisċepdōm (“the province of a bishop; a bishopric”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskopadōm, equivalent to bishop +‎ -dom. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bisdum (“bishopdom”), West Frisian bisdom (“bishopdom”), Dutch bisdom (“bishopdom”), German Bistum (“bishopdom”), Danish bispedømme (“bishopdom”), Swedish biskopsdöme (“bishopdom”), Icelandic biskupsdæmur, biskupsdæmi (“bishopdom”).

Noun

bishopdom (countable and uncountable, plural bishopdoms)

1. (archaic) The jurisdiction of a bishop; episcopate.
   • 1641, John Milton, Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence against Smectymnuus; republished in A Complete Collection of the Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous Works of John Milton, […], volume I, Amsterdam [actually London: s.n.], 1698, →OCLC, page 143:

     See the frowardneſſe of this Man, he would perſwade us that the Succeſſion and divine Right of Biſhopdom hath bin unqueſtionable through all Ages;

References

• “bishopdom”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.