Diocese \Di"o*cese\, n.; pl. Dioceses. [OE. diocise, OF. diocise, F. dioc['e]se, L. dioecesis, fr. Gr. ? housekeeping, administration, a province, a diocese, fr. ? to keep house, manage; dia` through + ? to manage a household, ? a house. See Economy.]

(Eccl.) The circuit or extent of a bishop's jurisdiction; the district in which a bishop exercises his ecclesiastical authority. [Frequently, but improperly, spelt diocess.]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)