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ultramontane

[uhl-truh-mon-teyn, -mon-teyn]
adjective
  1. beyond the mountains.
  2. of or relating to the area south of the Alps, especially Italy.
  3. Roman Catholic Church.
    1. of, relating to, or advocating ultramontanism.
    2. of, relating to, or supporting the belief that the pope is the spiritual head of the Church in all countries.
  4. (formerly) north of the Alps; tramontane.
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noun
  1. a person who lives beyond the mountains.
  2. a person living south of the Alps.
  3. Roman Catholic Church. a person who supports ultramontanism.
  4. (formerly) a person living to the north of the Alps.
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Origin of ultramontane

1585–95; < Medieval Latin ultrāmontānus, equivalent to Latin ultrā ultra- + montānus montane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ultramontane

Historical Examples

  • Compare "antiseptic," "antinomian," "ultramontane," "semicircle."

    "Stops"

    Paul Allardyce

  • But you are a minstrel, perhaps, from these ultramontane parts.

    Anne of Geierstein

    Walter Scott

  • It is not an ultramontane tract to defend the Church againstxlv the sceptic.

  • First, I do not like the ultramontane spirit of the Siegwart family.

  • And you approved of this narrow-mindedness of the ultramontane?

British Dictionary definitions for ultramontane

ultramontane

adjective
  1. on the other side of the mountains, esp the Alps, from the speaker or writerCompare cismontane
  2. of or relating to a movement in the Roman Catholic Church which favours the centralized authority and influence of the pope as opposed to local independenceCompare cisalpine (def. 2)
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noun
  1. a resident or native from beyond the mountains, esp the Alps
  2. a member of the ultramontane party of the Roman Catholic Church
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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 ultramontane

adj.

1590s, from Middle French ultramontain "beyond the mountains" (especially the Alps), from Old French (early 14c.), from Latin ultra "beyond" (see ultra-) + stem of mons (see mount (n.)). Used especially of papal authority, though "connotation varies according to the position of the speaker or writer." [Weekley]

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper