pontiff
[ pon-tif ]
/ ˈpɒn tɪf /
noun
any pontifex.
any high or chief priest.
Ecclesiastical.
- a bishop.
- the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.
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Origin of pontiff
Words nearby pontiff
Pontian, pontianak, pontic, Pontic Mountains, pontifex, pontiff, pontific, pontifical, Pontifical College, Pontifical Mass, pontificals
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for pontiff
British Dictionary definitions for pontiff
pontiff
/ (ˈpɒntɪf) /
noun
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
Word Origin for pontiff
C17: from French pontife, from Latin pontifex
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for pontiff
pontiff
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.