congé d'élire

noun

A licence from the Crown in England issued under the great seal to the dean and chapter of the cathedral church of a diocese, authorizing them to elect a bishop or archbishop upon the vacancy of any episcopal see in England.

OriginFrench congé d'élire →
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Meanings

nouncongé d'élire (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAnglicanismA licence from the Crown in England issued under the great seal to the dean and chapter of the cathedral church of a diocese, authorizing them to elect a bishop or archbishop upon the vacancy of any episcopal see in England.

    The speed was such that the congé d’élire for Worcester arrived before the funeral of the dead bishop.

    1966, Owen Chadwick, The Victorian Church, volume 1, page 25, note 2

Origin

  1. Frenchcongé d'élire“leave to choose”
  2. Englishcongé d'élire

Borrowed from French congé d'élire (“leave to choose”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

congé d'élire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9%20d'%C3%A9lire

MLA

“congé d'élire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9%20d'%C3%A9lire. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “congé d'élire,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9%20d'%C3%A9lire.

Source: congé d'élire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.