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pontiff

American  
[pon-tif] / ˈpɒn tɪf /

noun

  1. any pontifex.

  2. any high or chief priest.

  3. Ecclesiastical.

    1. a bishop.

    2. the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.

pontiff British  
/ ˈpɒntɪf /

noun

  1. 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

"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
pontiff Cultural  

  1. 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.

Etymology

Origin of pontiff

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 70-year-old pontiff said the trip would allow him to "continue the discourse of dialogue and bridge-building between the Christian and the Muslim worlds".

From Barron's

The pontiff belongs to the Augustinian religious order and had previously called for interfaith dialogue in the North African country.

From BBC

The Vatican announced a series of international trips in the months ahead for the US pontiff, who was elected last year, including to Spain and Monaco.

From Barron's

Leo, the Catholic Church's first American pontiff, said it was "more urgent than ever to replace the logic of fear and mistrust with a shared ethic capable of guiding choices towards the common good".

From Barron's

The pontiff evoked the gospel of Matthew, adding that "Jesus says very clearly, at the end of the world, we're going to be asked, 'How did you receive the foreigner?"

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.