pontificate

[ noun pon-tif-i-kit, -keyt; verb pon-tif-i-keyt ]

/ noun pɒnˈtɪf ɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt; verb pɒnˈtɪf ɪˌkeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pontificate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the office or term of office of a pontiff.

verb (used without object), pon·tif·i·cat·ed, pon·tif·i·cat·ing.

to perform the office or duties of a pontiff.

to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen?

to serve as a bishop, especially in a Pontifical Mass.

Nearby words

pontific, pontifical, pontifical college, pontifical mass, pontificals, pontificate, pontifices, pontil, pontile, pontine, pontine angle tumor

Origin of pontificate

1575–85; (noun) < Latin pontificātus; see pontifical, -ate³; (v.) < Medieval Latin pontificātus past participle of pontificāre to be an ecclesiastic; see -ate¹

Related forms

pon·tif·i·ca·tion, nounpon·tif·i·ca·tor, noun

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

Examples from the Web for pontificate

Benedict may well want to cut short the time available for the cardinals to politick, posture, and pontificate, as it were.
With Pope Benedict XVI’s Retirement, Conclave Rules Prove Unclear|Christopher Dickey|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What authority is there for believing it to have been cast in the pontificate of St. Leo?
Notes and Queries, Number 174, February 26, 1853|Various
It is dated: "Given at Rome, the 13th day of May, 1580, the eighth of our pontificate."
An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800|Mary Frances Cusack
His masterpiece, Libri octo de synoda diocesana, begun in Bologna, appeared during his pontificate.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5|Various

The Cardinal of Florence cut short the ill-timed sermon, demanding whether he accepted the pontificate.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07|Various
Innocent the Eighth made them his mark from the beginning of his Pontificate to the end.
Historical Sketches, Volume I (of 3)|John Henry Newman

British Dictionary definitions for pontificate

pontificate

verb (pɒnˈtɪfɪˌkeɪt) (intr)

to speak or behave in a pompous or dogmatic mannerAlso (less commonly): pontify (ˈpɒntɪˌfaɪ)

to serve or officiate as a pontiff, esp in celebrating a Pontifical Mass

noun (pɒnˈtɪfɪkɪt)

the office or term of office of a pontiff, now usually the pope

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