What is "episcopate"

Episcopate \E*pis"co*pate\, n. [L. episcopatus, fr. episcopus: cf. F. ['e]piscopat. See Bishop.]

1. A bishopric; the office and dignity of a bishop.

2. The collective body of bishops.

3. The time of a bishop's rule.

Episcopate \E*pis"co*pate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Episcopated; p. pr. & vb. n. Episcopating.] To act as a bishop; to fill the office of a prelate. [Obs.]

Feeding the flock episcopating.
--Milton.

n. 1 bishop seen as a group. 2 The tenure in office of a bishop. 3 (context rare English) A bishop's jurisdiction, the extent of his diocese.

Episcopate can refer to

• the rank or fact of being a bishop
• a group of bishops that together form a historical episcopate
• episcopal polity, a form of organization of a Christian church