pontifical

American  

[pon-tif-i-kuhl] / pɒnˈtɪf ɪ kəl /

Rarely pontificial

adjective

1. relating to or proceeding from a pope or from the office of the pope; papal.

   This document gathers together and sums up all the pontifical teachings on Saint Thomas Aquinas.

   The pontifical court of Innocent IV was maintained at Lyons rather than Rome.

2. (of an academic institution) established or certified by the office of the pope and covering disciplines directly related to Christian belief, such as theology, philosophy, and canon law.

   The outspoken Dominican nun teaches theology at a pontifical university in Rome.

3. relating to, characteristic of, or conducted by a high-ranking prelate, especially a bishop.

4. pompous, dogmatic, or pretentious.

   His coworkers resented his lofty and pontifical manner, which they found arrogant.

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noun

1. null Pontifical (in the Western Church) a book containing the forms for the sacraments and other rites and ceremonies to be performed by bishops.

   She has recently published her thesis about an illuminated Pontifical made in 1350 for the archbishop of Narbonne.

2. pontificals, the vestments and other insignia of a high-ranking prelate, especially a bishop.

pontifical British  

/ pɒnˈtɪfɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a pontiff, the pope, or a bishop

2. having an excessively authoritative manner; pompous

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noun

1. RC Church Church of England a book containing the prayers and ritual instructions for ceremonies restricted to a bishop

Other Word Forms

• pontifically adverb
• unpontifical adjective
• unpontifically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pontifical

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin pontificālis, from pontific-, stem of pontifex pontifex + -ālis -al ¹