prelacy

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈprɛləsɪ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(prel′ə sē)

Inflections of 'prelacy' (n): npl: prelacies

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
prel•a•cy  (prel′ə sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies. 
  1. Religionthe office or dignity of a prelate.
  2. Religionthe order of prelates.
  3. Religionthe body of prelates collectively.
  4. Religion, Slang Terms[Sometimes Disparaging.]the system of church government by prelates.
  • Medieval Latin praelātia. See prelate, -y3
  • Anglo-French
  • Middle English prelacie 1275–1325

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
prelacy /ˈprɛləsɪ/, prelaty /ˈprɛlətɪ/ n ( pl -cies)
  1. Also called: prelature /ˈprɛlɪtʃə/
    • the office or status of a prelate
    • prelates collectively
  2. Also called: prelatism /ˈprɛləˌtɪzəm/ often derogatory government of the Church by prelates
'prelacy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
prelatism

Forum discussions with the word(s) "prelacy" in the title:


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