Diocese

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdaɪ.ə.sɪs/

Definitions

1. An administrative division of a Christian church under the authority of a bishop
2. A religious jurisdiction managed by a bishop, which includes several local congregations and their associated activities
3. A territorial organization within some Christian denominations that is overseen by a bishop and encompasses multiple churches and their functions

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "diocese" is that it began as a tax and administration term in the Roman Empire, not a church one. The Greek "dioíkēsis" meant "internal administration," and by the Roman period it described a district governed as a unit. Latin speakers borrowed it as "dioecēsis," meaning a district under a governor, and it covered large regional areas with their own officials and finances. The Church later adopted the word for its own territorial organisation. Late Latin "diocēsis" passed into Old French as "diocese," and English took it from there in Middle English as "diocise," with the spelling settling into its modern form over time. The ecclesiastical sense kept the core idea of a region run from a central authority, now under a bishop rather than a provincial governor.

Synonyms: district, parish, see