▪ I. archbishop
(ˈɑːtʃˈbɪʃəp: see arch-)
Forms of pref.: 1 ærce-, erce-, 1–5 arce-, 2–4 erche-, 3 ærche, 2–6 arche-, 4 erch-, erse-, arz-, 4–5 ers-, 5 ars-, 4– arch-. See forms of bishop.
[ad. L. archiepiscop-um in its Romanic form *arcebiscobo; or perhaps rather a substitution of the prefix of this for héah in the earlier OE. equivalent héah-biscop ‘high-bishop.’ The southern form in ME. was erche-:—OE. ęrce-; erse-, ers-, ars-, arz-, were northern.]
The chief bishop; the highest dignitary in an episcopal church, superintending the bishops of his province; a metropolitan.
| c 885 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. Pref. 6 æt Pleᵹmunde minum ærcebiscepe. 994 O. E. Chron., Her forðferde Siᵹeric arcebiscop. a 1067 Charter in Cod. Dip. IV. 208 Eadweard cyng gret Stigand ercebiscop. c 1175 Cotton Hom. 237 Archebiscopes, and biscopes, prestes. 1205 Lay. 24459 Þe ærchebiscop of Lundene. 1297 R. Glouc. 367 Erchebyssop of Euerwyk. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 86 Sa sorful was this erz⁓bischop. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 73 Elred þe archbisshop of Ȝork. c 1386 Chaucer Friar's T. 202 As to therchebisschop [v.r. þe erchbisshope] seynt Dunstan. c 1405 Lay Folks' Mass-Bk. 64 For al ercebischops. c 1450 Nominale in Wright Voc. 209 Hic archyepiscopus, an ersbychope. 1480 Caxton Chron. Engl. 258 Metropolitanes and archebisshoppes. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 74 We shall see him For it, an Arch-byshop. 1782 Priestley Corrupt. Chr. II. x. 237 The term Arch⁓bishop was first used by Athanasius. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 4 Feb. 6/2 Planned nearly thirty years ago by the Philological Society at the suggestion of Archbishop Trench. |
b. Used to translate Latin Pontifex maximus.
| 1600 Holland Livy xxviii. xxxviii. 697 d, P. Licinius Crassus the Archbishop. |
Hence deriv. [see -ess, -hood, -ling, -ly1, -ship]:— archˈbishopess (nonce-wd.), the wife of an archbishop. archˈbishophood, archˈbishopship, the rank or position of an archbishop. archˈbishopling, a little archbishop. archˈbishoply a., of or pertaining to an archbishop.
| 1781 H. Walpole Lett. C'tess Ossory II. 72 She set me down to whist with..the Archbishopess of Canterbury. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iv. ii. 426 Bischophode and archi⁓bischophode. 1845 Carlyle Cromwell (1871) I. 255 There was little good to be got of his Archbishophood. 1851 Sir F. Palgrave Norm. & Eng. II. 191 The archbishopling, ‘Hugo Parvulus.’ 1862 All Y. Round 10 May 204 The disgrace of having his archbishoply orders countermanded. 1556 Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 96 Desgradyd of hys leggatsheppe and of hys archebyshoppecheppe. |
▪ II. archˈbishop, v.
[f. prec.]
trans. To make or call archbishop. In phr. to archbishop it: to act as archbishop.
| 1692 Washington tr. Milton's Def. Pop. viii. (1851) 191 [They] pretended to Archbishop it by Divine Providence. 1836 Blackw. Mag. XXXVI. 301 To archbishop him was by right; for he was already arch-hypocrite..and arch-rogue. |