autocephalous

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autocephalous

/ɔːtə(ʊ)ˈsɛfələs/

Where it comes from

From Ancient Greek αὐτοκέφαλος (autoképhalos), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”) + κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”). By surface analysis, auto- + -cephalous.

adjective more autocephalous · most autocephalous

not comparable, usually, of a church Fully independent of the authority of any other church. The defenders of Anglican independence maintain that there were anciently Churches autocephalous, dependent on no patriarch, and refer to the Churches of Cyprus as thus constituted, and allege that the British Churches enjoyed the same right of self-government and ordained their own prelates.
not comparable, usually, of a bishop Presiding over an autocephalous church.
comparable, not comparable, usually Independent; not governed by others. This is the Weberian continuum which stretches between the poles of “autocephalous” (self-organized and managing) and “heterocephalous” (organized and managed by others) occupations. […]In the more autocephalous occupations—the professions; the arts; independent accountants, draftsmen, and the like;
Similar: self-determined, self-directed, self-governing · Opposite: heterocephalous

Translations

Every language

adj (of a church) independent

Español	autocéfalo
中文	自主 zìzhǔ
Português	autocéfalo
Français	autocéphale
Deutsch	autokephal
Italiano	autocefalo
Ελληνικά	αυτοκέφαλος aftokéfalos
Română	autocefal
Русский	автокефа́льный avtokefálʹnyj

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MLA

"autocephalous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/autocephalous. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

autocephalous. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/autocephalous

Chicago

"autocephalous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/autocephalous.

BibTeX

@misc{autocephalous_2026,
  title = {autocephalous},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/autocephalous},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}