diocese

noun

di·​o·​cese ˈdī-ə-səs 

-ˌsēs,

-ˌsēz

plural dioceses ˈdī-ə-sə-səz 

-ˌsē-zəz,

 nonstandard  ˈdī-ə-ˌsēz

: the territorial jurisdiction of a bishop

diocesan

dī-ˈä-sə-sən 

 also  ˈdī-ə-ˌsē-sᵊn

adjective

Examples of diocese in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop in a Roman Catholic Connecticut diocese, choosing a longtime priest from the Diocese of Worcester, according to the Vatican. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2025

Weisenburger, who speaks Spanish, has a track record in support of immigrants in a diocese close to the border, according to the Freep. —Annalise Frank, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

French ministers have also floated the idea of charging tourists an entrance fee to the site but the Paris diocese has said free admission was an important principle to maintain. —Chris Morris, Fortune Europe, 29 Nov. 2024

More than two dozen Catholic dioceses, including those in San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco, have filed for bankruptcy in recent years. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English diocise, dyoces, borrowed from Anglo-French diocise, dyocés, borrowed from Late Latin diocēsis, dioecēsis "administrative district, province, group of provinces (in the later Roman Empire), jurisdiction of a bishop" (Latin, "administrative district"), borrowed from Late Greek dioíkēsis "administration, control, ordering, civil or ecclesiastical group of provinces, jurisdiction of a bishop," going back to Greek, "management, administration," from dioikē-, variant stem of dioikéō, dioikeîn "to control, manage, look after" (from di- di- + oikeîn "to live, have one's home, order, govern," derivative of oîkos "house, home") + -sis -sis — more at vicinity

Note: In early Modern English diocise, passed on from Middle English, competed unsuccessfully with the Latin/French-influenced forms diocess and diocese. The variant diocess was predominant in the eighteenth century and is the only form entered in Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755). The situation had changed, at least in the U.S., by the early nineteenth century: Noah Webster, in his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), enters only diocese, and regards diocess as "a very erroneous orthography."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for diocese

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

Kids Definition

diocese

noun

di·​o·​cese ˈdī-ə-səs 

-ˌsēz,

-ˌsēs

plural dioceses ˈdī-ə-ˌsēz 

-ˌsē-zēz,

-sə-səz

: the district over which a bishop has authority