Vicariates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A district or area overseen by a vicar, acting in place of a bishop or ecclesiastical authority
2. A jurisdiction delegated to a vicar to manage pastoral care and administrative duties in a specific locality
3. The office or responsibility held by a vicar, who represents a higher church authority in religious or administrative matters

Etymology: "Vicariates" is the plural of "vicariate," which denotes the office or responsibility held by a vicar, the person who acts on behalf of a higher church authority. The plural is what you reach for when discussing several such offices at once, as in a church province or a diocese divided into several territorial units. The noun itself is built from the Latin "vicarius," meaning a substitute or deputy, which in turn comes from "vicis," meaning change, turn, or place. A vicar, in other words, is someone who stands in another's turn or place. The "-ate" ending marks the office or jurisdiction that such a person holds, so a vicariate is the authority conferred on the deputy rather than the deputy himself.