English
episcopy
Episcopy comes from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος ‘overseer, bishop’, from σκοπός ‘watcher, lookout, guardian’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skep-ye-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*skep-ye-reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσκέπτομαιsképtomai‘to observe’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσκοπός‘watcher, lookout, guardian’root of σκέπτομαι
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπίσκοποςepískopos‘overseer, bishop’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπισκοπήepiskopḗ
- Englishearliest quotation 1660episcopy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*skep-ye-reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσκέπτομαιsképtomai‘to observe’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσκοπός‘watcher, lookout, guardian’root of σκέπτομαι
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπίσκοποςepískopos‘overseer, bishop’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπισκοπήepiskopḗ
- Englishearliest quotation 1660episcopy
Earliest quotation: 1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium: “It was the universal doctrine of the Church of…”
first attested First attested in 1642 in John Milton’s The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1642 in John Milton’s The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty.
Linked words
through Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι ‘to observe’
skeptical, microscope, kaleidoscope, gyroscope, 91 more
through Ancient Greek σκοπός ‘watcher, lookout, guardian’
scope, spectroscopic, macroscopic, endoscopic, 93 more
through Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος ‘overseer, bishop’
Today it means
noun Supervision; superintendence.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *skep-ye- / episcopy