Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Episcopate
E·pis′co·pate (ē·pĭs′kō·pāt), n. [L. episcopatus, fr. episcopus: cf. F. épiscopat. 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.
E·pis′co·pate (·pāt), 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.