''pontiff'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20261015004146-00-⌔

pontiff - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

pontiff (plural pontiffs)

• (historical, Ancient Rome) A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex. [from 17th c.]
• A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope. [from 16th c.]
  • ✤ In several respects John turned out to be an unexpected figure as supreme pontiff.¹
• (figuratively) Any chief figure or leader of a religion. [from 16th c.]

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French pontife m, from Latin pontifex m. Doublet of pontifex.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpɒntɪf/
• Audio (Southern England): 🔊

Printed 2026-10-15.

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Footnotes

1. 2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 46: ↩