autocephalous

Etymology

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

adj

1. (Christianity, 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. 1845, Francis Patrick Kenrick, The Primacy of the Apostolic See Vindicated, Philadelphia, page 178
2. (Christianity, of a bishop) Presiding over an autocephalous church.
3. (comparable) Independent; self-directed.
   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; independent small and medium businessmen in merchandising, manufacturing, artisanry, and the service trades—effective organization is less feasible. 1970, Ronald C. Newton, “On ‘Functional Groups,’ ‘Fragmentation,’ and ‘Pluralism’ in Spanish American Political Society”, in Hispanic American Historical Review, →DOI