primacy

noun

Etymology: From Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy.

1. The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc.

   “establish the primacy of something”

   “acknowledge the primacy of something”

2. Excellence; supremacy.
3. The office, rank, or character of a primate, it being the chief ecclesiastical station or dignity in a national church.

   “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor in Eastern Orthodoxy, emphasized the many areas of agreement between Pope Francis and himself in response to the social concerns of the day.”

4. The office or dignity of an archbishop.