bishops

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of bishop.

   The bishops gathered in the cathedral for the annual synod.

   Several bishops signed the open letter to the government.

   Note

   One plural serves every kind of bishop the singular can name: the clergy who govern dioceses, the chiefs of the Festival of Fools, and the chess pieces that move along diagonals. The spelling is shared with the verb's present-tense form, so the sentence decides which is meant. In "the bishops met" it is clergy. In "the dealer bishops a horse" a singular subject comes first and an object follows, and that marks the verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of bishop.

   The trader bishops the old gelding, filing its teeth so buyers will take it for a much younger animal.

   He bishops the candidates each spring during the confirmation rites.

   Note

   The present-tense form carries some of the oddest meanings in the family. Beyond the churchly ones, such as a prelate confirming candidates, a dealer who bishops a horse makes it look younger by working on its teeth. In UK dialect, a cook who bishops the milk lets it burn. Most uses take a direct object, which is the quickest way to tell it from the plural noun spelled the same way.

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