PRELATE Meaning of PRELATE in English n. 1 a high ecclesiastical dignitary, e.g. a bishop. 2 hist. an abbot or prior. prelatic adj. prelatical adj.[ ME f. OF prelat f. med.L praelatus past part.: see PREFER ] Concise Oxford English dictionary. Краткий оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2012