prelate
/ˈpɹɛlət/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms prelates prelating prelated
- noun A clergyman of high rank and authority, having jurisdiction over an area or a group of people; normally a bishop.
- verb (intransitive), (obsolete) To act as a prelate.
- proper noun A village in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Old French prelat (French prélat), from Medieval Latin praelātus, perfect passive participle of praeferō (“to carry before, prefer, exceed”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Doublet of prefer. See also infer, relate and refer, delate and defer, as well as collate and confer among others.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A clergyman of a superior order, as an archbishop or a bishop, having authority over the lower clergy; a dignitary of the church.
- verb To act as a prelate. [Obs.]
Etymology [F. prélat, LL. praelatus, fr. L. praelatus, used as p. p. of praeferre to prefer, but from a different root. See Elate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “prelate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details