bishop

Where does the word "bishop" come from? It comes from Greek episkopos, passing through Latin before entering English (medieval).

Bishop’s story begins in Greek: episkopos meant “an overseer.” Literally "overseer". By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as episcopus. 'episkopos' meant overseer; the 'bi-' and 'sh' came from Old English sound changes. It reached English by medieval as biscop. Worn down through everyday pronunciation. Today, bishop means a senior member of the Christian clergy, in charge of a diocese.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient episkopos "an overseer", literally "overseer".
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient episcopus "a church overseer", 'episkopos' meant overseer; the 'bi-' and 'sh' came from Old English sound changes.
3. Stage 3 · Old English · medieval biscop "a senior church official", worn down through everyday pronunciation.