From Old French prelat (French prélat), from Medieval Latin praelātus, perfect passive participle of praeferō (“to carry before, prefer, exceed”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Doublet of prefer. See also infer, relate and refer, delate and defer, as well as collate and confer among others.

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛlət/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Rhymes: -ɛlət

prelate (plural prelates)

1. A clergyman of high rank and authority, having jurisdiction over an area or a group of people; normally a bishop.

   Hypernym: cleric

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     Hear him but reason in divinity, […] / You would desire the king were made a prelate.

   • 1748, [David Hume], “Essay X. Of Miracles”, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar,[…], →OCLC, part I, page 173:

     ’Tis acknowledg’d on all hands, ſays that learned Prelate, that the Authority, either of the Scripture or of Tradition, is founded merely on the Teſtimony of the Apoſtles, who were Eye-witneſſes to thoſe Miracles of our Saviour, by which he prov’d his divine Miſſion.

   • 1845, William Palmer, Origines Liturgicae, or, Antiquities of the English Ritual: And a Dissertation on Primitive Liturgies‎^[1], 4th edition, volume 2, London: Francis & John Rivington, →OCLC, page 310:

     Inthronization, in ancient times, immediately succeeded the rite of consecration; the new bishop being honourably placed in his episcopal chair by the prelates assembled for his consecration.

   • 2023 October 3, Jason Horowitz, “Conservative Catholics, Relegated to Sidelines, Denounce Papal Gathering”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The day before, Cardinal Burke and other traditionalist prelates made public an exchange of letters with Francis in which they aired grave doubts about the legitimacy of a major assembly of the world’s bishops and laypeople that will, on Wednesday, begin discussing some of the most sensitive topics in the church.

prelate (third-person singular simple present prelates, present participle prelating, simple past and past participle prelated)

1. (intransitive), (obsolete) To act as a prelate.
   • 18 January 1549, Hugh Latimer, Sermon of the Plough

     Right prelating is busy labouring, and not lording.

• pleater, replate, repleat