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pontifex

American  
[pon-tuh-feks] / ˈpɒn təˌfɛks /

noun

Roman Religion.

plural

pontifices

  1. a member of the Pontifical College, which was presided over by a chief priest Pontifex Maximus.

pontifex British  
/ ˈpɒntɪˌfɛks /

noun

  1. (in ancient Rome) any of the senior members of the Pontifical College, presided over by the Pontifex Maximus

"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

Etymology

Origin of pontifex

1570–80; < Latin: apparently literally, path-maker, equivalent to ponti- (stem of pōns ) bridge, probably originally, path ( pons ) + -fec- (combining form of facere to make) + -s nominative singular ending; the literal application is unclear

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.