papa

[ pah-puh, puh-pah ]

noun

1. father.
2. Papa, a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.

papa

¹

/ pəˈpɑː /

noun

1. old-fashioned.
   an informal word for father

papa

²

/ ˈpɑːpa /

noun

1. rare. a soft blue-grey clay of marine siltstone or sandstone

Papa

³

/ ˈpɑːpɑː /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter p

papa

⁴

/ ˈpɑːpɑː /

noun

1. RC Church another name for the pope 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of papa¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French pappa (nursery word); compare Latin pāpa “father” ( pope ), Old Norse pāpi, pabbi “father”; pap ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of papa¹

C17: from French, a children's word for father; compare Late Latin pāpa, Greek pappa

Origin of papa²

Māori

Origin of papa³

C16: from Italian

Example Sentences

The chat was often light hearted - how he was settling into his wardrobe of sustainable clothing, the perils of having a beard when your daughter doesn’t like it and the ‘papa’ bracelet she made for him when he took his children to see Taylor Swift.

From BBC

That was followed by Alpha Male diatribes on book banning, the Black “Little Mermaid,” Trump’s mug shot, ruminations on Hunter Biden’s laptop and swipes at President Biden, whom he calls “Papa Long Hugs.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the past, Papa Westray has suffered from poor connectivity, with internet speeds either slow or non-existent.

From BBC

The internet connection initially reaches Papa Westray via a radio link from neighbouring isle of Westray, before being distributed across the island using the water pipes.

From BBC

Ian Cursiter, a Water Board supply engineer and farmer in Papa Westray, has lived on the island his whole life.

From BBC

Related Words

• dad