autocephalous

== English == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek αὐτοκέφαλος (autoképhalos), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”) + κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”). By surface analysis, auto- +‎ -cephalous. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɔːtə(ʊ)ˈsɛfələs/ === Adjective === autocephalous (not generally comparable, comparative more autocephalous, superlative most autocephalous) (Christianity, of a church) Fully independent of the authority of any other church. Coordinate term: autonomous (Christianity, of a bishop) Presiding over an autocephalous church. Coordinate term: autonomous (comparable) Independent; not governed by others. Synonyms: self-determined, self-directed, self-governing Antonym: heterocephalous Coordinate terms: autonomous, semiautonomous, sovereign ==== Usage notes ==== Sense 1 is typically only used in reference to an episcopal church. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “autocephalous, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2021. David J. Melling (1999), “autocephalous”, in Ken Parry, David J. Melling, Dimitri Brady, Sidney H. Griffith, and John F. Healey, editors, The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity‎[2], Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, →ISBN, page 73. === Further reading === Autocephaly on Wikipedia.Wikipedia