episcopal
adj.adj. relating to a church that is led by bishops. It describes the way some Christian groups organize their leaders and rules.
adj. relating to or denoting the government of a church by bishops. Derived from the Greek 'episkopos', meaning overseer.
The city is home to a beautiful episcopal palace.
The local church follows an episcopal structure, meaning the bishop makes the final decisions on major appointments.
Scholars debated whether the early church was strictly episcopal in its governance or if a more communal leadership style had preceded the formal hierarchy of bishops.
See episcopal.
Typically used attributively before a noun. When capitalized as 'Episcopal', it specifically refers to the Episcopal Church in the United States or Scotland.