Holy See

American  

noun

1. Roman Catholic Church. the see of Rome; the office or jurisdiction of the pope.

2. the papal court.

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Holy See British  

noun

1. the see of the pope as bishop of Rome and head of the Church

2. the Roman curia

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Holy See Cultural  

1. In the Roman Catholic Church, the official name for the jurisdiction of the pope (the word see is from the Latin for “seat”).

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Etymology

Origin of Holy See

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

From the Holy See to Silicon Valley, each day brings a fresh wave of discourse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

While Francis visited France three times as pope -- to Strasbourg, Marseille and the island of Corsica -- those trips were not official state visits by the Holy See.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

The Vatican described the talks as “cordial” and said “the shared commitment to cultivate good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America was renewed.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

We’re actually doing a sound project about her for the Holy See pavilion next month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

A truce was thus patched up with Philippe, who hastened to manifest his good-will to the Holy See by abandoning his subjects again to the inquisitors.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Lea, Henry Charles