autocephality

A1U1T1O1C3E1P3H4A1L1I1T1Y4

noun

The right of autonomy for a church; specifically, the right to resolve all internal problems on its own authority and to appoint its own bishops, including the head of the church, without any obligatory expression of dependence on another church.

Scrabble 23
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounautocephality (uncountable)
  1. uncountableChristianityThe right of autonomy for a church; specifically, the right to resolve all internal problems on its own authority and to appoint its own bishops, including the head of the church, without any obligatory expression of dependence on another church.

    The Macedonian Orthodox Church is struggling for the recognition of its autocephality by the other Orthodox Churches.

    2011, Ina Merdjanova, Patrice Brodeur, Religion as a Conversation Starter: Interreligious Dialog for Peacebuilding in the Balkans, →ISBN, page 1916

Origin

From auto- + cephal- + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

autocephality. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autocephality

MLA

“autocephality.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autocephality. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autocephality,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autocephality.

Source: autocephality on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.