exarch

noun — 3 senses

exarch

noun

UK /ˈɛksɑːk/ · US /ˈɛksɑɹk/

Etymology Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin exarchus.

1

Historical In the Byzantine Empire, a governor of a distant province.

2

In the Eastern Christian Churches, the deputy of a patriarch, or a bishop who holds authority over other bishops without being a patriarch.

3

In these same churches, a bishop appointed over a group of the faithful not yet large enough or organized enough to constitute an eparchy or diocese.

Derived terms
exarchal, exarchate, exarchist, exarchy

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.