pontiff
English
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pontiff¹
- /ˈpɒntɪf/ UK
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French pontife m, from Latin pontifex m. Doublet of pontifex.
noun pontiffs
- A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex.
- A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope. In several respects John turned out to be an unexpected figure as supreme pontiff.
- Any chief figure or leader of a religion.
Pontiff²
Where it comes from
From pontiff, a nickname for someone who had played the role of the pope in a medieval religious play, or for a vain and pompous person.
proper noun Pontiffs
- A surname transferred from the nickname.
Translations
Every language
noun pope
| Español | pontífice, vicediós, vicecristo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 교황 gyohwang |
| 日本語 | 教皇 kyōō |
| 中文 | 教皇 jiàohuáng, 教宗 jiàozōng |
| Português | pontífice |
| Français | pontife |
| Deutsch | Pontifex |
| Italiano | pontefice |
| Ελληνικά | ποντίφικας pontífikas |
| Română | pontif |
| Русский | понти́фик pontífik |
| Tiếng Việt | giáo hoàng |
Talk about this word "pontiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pontiff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pontiff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pontiff "pontiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pontiff.Cite this
@misc{pontiff_2026,
title = {pontiff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pontiff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
