verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To deprive (e.g. a city etc.) of a bishop. transitive
2. 2
   To deprive (a clergyman) of episcopal dignity or rights. transitive

   "Then he unbishops himself."

Etymology

From Middle English *unbishopen (suggested by past participle unbishoped, unbisschoped), equivalent to un- + bishop.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.