pontiff

[pon-tif]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pontiff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any pontifex.

any high or chief priest.

Ecclesiastical.

a bishop.
the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.

Origin of pontiff

1600–10; earlier pontife < French, short for Latin pontifex pontifex

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pontiff

pope, bishop, pontifex

Examples from the Web for pontiff

Contemporary Examples of pontiff

But the current pontiff, for reasons one might fully understand, declined to meet the would-be papal assassin.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 29, 2014
The pontiff blasts the selfishness, arrogance and detachment of the cardinals in Rome.
Pope Francis Denounces the Vatican Elite’s 'Spiritual Alzheimer’s'
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 23, 2014
With more threats than ever on the Vatican, is the pontiff making a dangerous mistake?
Is The Pope Unprotected Now That He’s Fired the Head of the Swiss Guards?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 5, 2014
He was released in 2010, and now wants to meet Pope Francis when the pontiff visits Turkey next week.
The Pope’s Risky Trip
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 21, 2014
First, in his opening remarks yesterday, the pontiff towed a much more conservative line than his legion of new fans might expect.
Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?
Jay Michaelson
November 19, 2014

Historical Examples of pontiff

Now, let us compare the rank of the emperor with that of the pontiff.
The Formation of Christendom, Volume VI
Thomas W. (Thomas William) Allies
Forget that he is a sovereign and a pontiff, and think of him as a tender and loving friend.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine
He obtained the Roman pontiff's license to preach to the pagans in Franconia, in Germany.
Fox's Book of Martyrs
John Foxe
The missive, however, never reached the pontiff to whom it was addressed.
The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa
Paul Barron Watson
Upon the decease of the pontiff, Rome was immediately in arms.
History Of Florence And Of The Affairs Of Italy
Niccolo Machiavelli

British Dictionary definitions for pontiff

pontiff

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pontiff

c.1600, "high priest," from French pontif (early 16c.), from Latin pontifex, title of a Roman high priest (see pontifex). Used for "bishop" in Church Latin, but not recorded in that sense in English until 1670s, specifically "the bishop of Rome," the pope. Pontifical, however, is used with this sense from mid-15c.

pontiff in Culture

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.