Dictionary
e•pis•co•pa•cy
Pronunciation: (i-pis'ku-pu-sē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -cies.
1. government of the church by bishops; church government in which there are three distinct orders of ministers, namely bishops, priests or presbyters, and deacons.
2. episcopate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.