definitions

papa

[ pah-puh, puh-pah ]
/ ˈpɑ pə, pəˈpɑ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR papa ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

father.
(initial capital letter) a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.

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RELATED WORDS

dad, pop, daddy, pa

Nearby words

paotow, pap, pap smear, pap technique, pap test, papa, papable, papacy, papadopoulos, papagayo, papago

Origin of papa

1675–85; < French; Middle French pappa (nursery word); compare Latin pāpa father (see pope), Old Norse pāpi, pabbi father. See pap1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for papa

British Dictionary definitions for papa (1 of 4)

papa

1
/ (pəˈpɑː) /

noun

old-fashioned an informal word for father (def. 1)

Word Origin for papa

C17: from French, a children's word for father; compare Late Latin pāpa, Greek pappa

British Dictionary definitions for papa (2 of 4)

papa

2
/ (ˈpɑːpɑː) /

noun

RC Church another name for the pope 1 (def. 1)

Word Origin for papa

C16: from Italian

British Dictionary definitions for papa (3 of 4)

papa

3
/ (ˈpɑːpa) /

noun

NZ rare. a soft blue-grey clay of marine siltstone or sandstone

Word Origin for papa

Māori

British Dictionary definitions for papa (4 of 4)

Papa

/ (ˈpɑːpɑː) /

noun

communications a code word for the letter p
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012