in partibus infidelium

adjective

Of a bishop or see: merely titular, without regular jurisdiction, and serving to assist some other bishop or to act as delegates of the pope where no hierarchy had yet been established.

OriginEcclesiastical Latin in partibus īnfidēlium →
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Meanings

adjectivein partibus infidelium (not comparable)

alternative in partibus · alternative i.p.i.

  1. historicalnot comparablepostpositionalCatholicismOf a bishop or see: merely titular, without regular jurisdiction, and serving to assist some other bishop or to act as delegates of the pope where no hierarchy had yet been established.

Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latinin partibus īnfidēlium
  2. Englishin partibus infidelium

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin in partibus īnfidēlium (literally “in the regions of the infidels”), so named because such bishops were assigned sees corresponding to territories that had passed under the control of other religions, and so did not imply a duty of residence or diocesan responsibilities.

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

in partibus infidelium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20partibus%20infidelium

MLA

“in partibus infidelium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20partibus%20infidelium. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in partibus infidelium,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20partibus%20infidelium.

Source: in partibus infidelium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.