Associate bishop appears topless (6)
I believe the answer is:
relate
'associate' is the definition.
(I know that associate can be written as relate)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for relate that I've seen before include "Narrate, tell in detail" , "Make a logical or casual connection" , "feel empathy" , "Make a logical or causal connection" , "Tell; connect" .)