papal
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the pope or the papacy.
a papal visit to Canada.
-
of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of papal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word pāpālis. See pope, -al 1
Explanation
Anything papal has to do to with the Pope, such as papal orders or papal ceremonies. The Catholic Church is led by the Pope. His office is the papacy, and anything that is ordered by the Pope or involving the Pope can be called papal. The papal robes are ornamental and beautiful. The power of the Pope can be called the papal authority. Someone who represents the Pope is a papal representative. Anything papal can also be referred to as pontifical or apostolic, since the Pope is considered the modern version of Jesus' apostles.
Vocabulary lists containing papal
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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Top 50 Wordle Words of 2024
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"The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner's Prologue
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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.
"We depended upon a corrupt Vatican official to get the text of an important papal speech ahead of delivery," he wrote.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The pope has spoken about the challenges and opportunities of the digital age for the young and devoted his first encyclical -- a sort of papal manifesto -- to artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Our postmodern pope’s meta-callback to another papal deep-cut.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
A papal letter reveals that Hadrian appointed Offa the steward of various monasteries dedicated to St. Peter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
In Silvester the Second a famous magician ascended the papal throne, although he was notorious for having invented the pendulum dock.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
