pontiff

American  

[pon-tif] / ˈpɒn tɪf /

noun

1. any pontifex.

2. any high or chief priest.

3. Ecclesiastical.

   1. a bishop.

   2. the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.

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pontiff British  

/ ˈpɒntɪf /

noun

1. a former title of the pagan high priest at Rome, later used of popes and occasionally of other bishops, and now confined exclusively to the pope

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pontiff Cultural  

1. Another name for the pope. Pontiff comes from a Latin word, meaning “bridge builder,” that was used as a title for some of the priests of ancient Rome.

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Etymology

Origin of pontiff

1600–10; earlier pontife < French, short for Latin pontifex pontifex

Explanation

In Catholicism, the pontiff is the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic church. When the pontiff visits a city, thousands of people come out to watch his motorcade go by. In ancient Rome, a pontiff was one of many high-ranking religious authorities — in fact, there was a whole group of them, known collectively as the College of Pontiffs. Today, it's strictly accurate to call any Catholic bishop a pontiff, but the vast majority of Catholics reserve the word for the Bishop of Rome, otherwise known as the Pope. The word means "high priest," from a root meaning "bridge-maker."

Example Sentences

But these days, he’s been attacking Pope Leo XIV, even going so far as to chide the pontiff to “to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026

The human resources employee in her 50s found the pontiff "extraordinary" during Saturday's prayer vigil with 500,000 mostly young people, seeing a "very positive message of joy".

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

The Pope's apology was delivered in what is known as a encyclical - technically a letter to Catholic bishops, but which over recent decades have been how a pontiff passes on messages to the world.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

The host, a devout Catholic, has called the pontiff his "white whale."

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Now, with his hands folded over his stomach, answering questions with the pacific smile of a pontiff granting dispensations, he was so perfectly at his ease that there was something palpably dishonest about it.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• pope