papacy

[ pey-puh-see ]

noun

, Roman Catholic Church.

, plural pa·pa·cies.

1. the office, dignity, or jurisdiction of the pope.
2. the system of ecclesiastical government in which the pope is recognized as the supreme head.
3. the period during which a certain pope is in office.
4. the succession or line of the popes.

papacy

/ ˈpeɪpəsɪ /

noun

1. the office or term of office of a pope
2. the system of government in the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope as its head

papacy

1. The office or position of the pope .

Other Words From

• anti·papa·cy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of papacy¹

1350–1400; Middle English papacie < Medieval Latin pāpātia. See pope, -acy

Word History and Origins

Origin of papacy¹

C14: from Medieval Latin pāpātia, from pāpa pope ¹

Example Sentences

This has been the longest foreign visit of his papacy and given his frail health, volunteers say the visit was unimaginable just a year ago.

From BBC

Now, he is in the middle of the longest foreign visit of his 11-and-a-half year papacy.

From BBC

The 87-year-old had earlier on Tuesday kicked off a 11-day visit to the region, the longest foreign trip of his papacy.

From BBC

At the start of his papacy, he said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

From New York Times

When asked about gay people early in his papacy, he hit the headlines by responding, “Who am I to judge?”

From BBC

Related Words

• pontiff