pontiff
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See also: Pontiff
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Middle French pontife, from Latin pontifex. Doublet of pontifex.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
pontiff (plural pontiffs)
- (historical, Ancient Rome) A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex. [from 17th c.]
- A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope. [from 16th c.]
- 2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 46:
- In several respects John turned out to be an unexpected figure as supreme pontiff.
- (figuratively) Any chief figure or leader of a religion. [from 16th c.]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
pope — see also pope
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References[edit]
- “pontiff”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “pontiff”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pontiff”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pent-
- English terms borrowed from Middle French
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English doublets
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with historical senses
- en:Ancient Rome
- English terms with quotations
- en:Religion