What does "prelate" mean?

Prelate: A clergyman of a superior order, as an archbishop or a bishop, having authority over the lower clergy; a dignitary of the church. Note: This word and the words derived from it are often used invidiously, in English ecclesiastical history, by dissenters, respecting the Established Church system. Hear him but reason in divinity, . . . You would desire the king were made a prelate. Shak.