Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "prelate" [prel•ate]

  • A high-ranking member of the clergy, especially a bishop. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "prelate" in a sentence
  • "Tonsures and minor orders (the officiating prelate is H.E. Msgr. Basil Meeking, Bishop emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand):"
  • "Another Latin American prelate makes clear what happens to pro-abortion politicians"
  • "The plump shadowed face and sullen oval jowl recalled a prelate, patron of arts in the middle ages."