VICAR-GEN'ERAL, noun A title given by Henry VIII to the earl of Essex, with power to oversee all the clergy, and regulate all church affairs. It is now the title of an office, which, as well as that of official principal, is united in the chancellor of the diocese. The business of the vicar-general is to exercise jurisdiction over matters purely spiritual.
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Webster's Dictionary 1828
American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828.