The New International Encyclopædia/Suffragan

SUFFRAGAN (ML. suffraganus, sufraganus, from Lat. suffragari, to assist, to vote for, from suffragium, vote, originally probably a broken potsherd used in voting, from suffringere, subfringere, to break, from sub. under + frangere, to break). The name given to a bishop to express his relation, in a province, to the archbishop or metropolitan (q.v.). The name is also applied to coadjutor or assistant bishops, especially in the Church of England, where suffragan bishops are usually known by territorial titles, although they have no independent jurisdiction, and their local commission, given by the bishop of the diocese, terminates with his death. In the Roman Catholic Church similar assistant bishops are usually designated by the titles of extinct sees. See Titular Bishops.