papacy
Americannoun
plural
papacies-
the office, dignity, or jurisdiction of the pope.
-
the system of ecclesiastical government in which the pope is recognized as the supreme head.
-
the period during which a certain pope is in office.
-
the succession or line of the popes.
noun
-
the office or term of office of a pope
-
the system of government in the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope as its head
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of papacy
1350–1400; Middle English papacie < Medieval Latin pāpātia. See pope, -acy
Explanation
Use the noun papacy when you're talking about the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the particular authority he holds. The papacy supports reducing poverty, but it does not support women becoming priests. The pope is the head of the Catholic Church in Rome, and his office or government is the papacy. You can use the word for official positions the church holds, or to talk about the history of a pope's term. For example, you might say, "The papacy of Pope Benedict XVI ended when he resigned." The root of papacy is the Latin papatia, "papal office," which comes from papa, or "pope."
Vocabulary lists containing papacy
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 20–April 26, 2025
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Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has been hailed as a key test of this Papacy, and of the Pontiff's own authority and direction for the Church.
From BBC • Oct. 1, 2015
Though hardly noted at the time, it may have been the single most important step taken by the Papacy to save the Roman Church from dissolution.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2014
For centuries, the Papacy had been the single religious authority of western Christendom.
From The Guardian • Mar. 18, 2013
The Society of Jesus was even dissolved by the Papacy in 1773.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2013
The Papacy itself had been abolished after Calvin’s death, and a tangle of courts, colleges, and councils, collectively known as the Magisterium, had grown up in its place.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
