assisting or auxiliary to, as applied to any bishop in relation to the archbishop or metropolitan who is his superior, or as applied to an assistant or subsidiary bishop who performs episcopal functions in a diocese but has no ordinary jurisdiction, as, in the Church of England, a bishop consecrated to assist the ordinary bishop of a see in part of his diocese.
2.
(of a see or diocese) subordinate to an archiepiscopal or metropolitan see.
–noun
3.
a suffragan bishop.
Origin: 1350–1400; ME suffragane < ML suffrāgāneus voting, equiv. to suffrāg(ium) suffrage+ -āneus, composite adj. suffix, equiv. to -ān(us) -an+ -eus-eous
A bishop elected or appointed as an assistant to the bishop or ordinary of a diocese, having administrative and episcopal responsibilities but no jurisdictional functions.
A bishop regarded in position as subordinate to an archbishop or a metropolitan.
adj. Of, being, or relating to a suffragan.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin suffrāgāneus, voting, supporting, from Latin suffrāgium, support, right to vote, from suffrāgārī, to express support; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.] suf'fra·gan·ship' n.
[suhf-ruh-guh
n] 