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⇱ pontiff - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

pontiff

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpɒntɪf/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpɑntɪf/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pon′tif )


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pon•tiff /ˈpɑntɪf/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Religion
    • [usually: the + ~] the Roman Catholic pope;
      the Bishop of Rome.
  2. any high or chief priest.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pon•tiff  (pon′tif ),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Ancient Historyany pontifex.
  2. any high or chief priest.
  3. Religion[Eccles.]
    • a bishop.
    • the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.
  • French, short for Latin pontifex pontifex
  • earlier pontife 1600–10

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pontiff /ˈpɒntɪf/ n
  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
Etymology: 17th Century: from French pontife, from Latin pontifex
'pontiff' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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