Vatican

[ vat-i-kuhn ]

noun

1. Also called Vatican Palace. the chief residence of the popes in Vatican City, now also including a library, archives, art museum, apartments, and administrative offices.
2. the authority and government of the pope (distinguished from the Quirinal ).

Vatican

/ ˈvætɪkən /

noun

1. 1. the palace of the popes in Rome and their principal residence there since 1377, which includes administrative offices, a library, museum, etc, and is attached to the basilica of St Peter's
   2. ( as modifier )

      the Vatican Council

2. 1. the authority of the Pope and the papal curia
   2. ( as modifier )

      a Vatican edict

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vatican¹

1545–55; < Latin vātīcānus ( mōns ) Vatican (hill)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vatican¹

C16: from Latin Vāticānus mons Vatican hill, on the western bank of the Tiber, of Etruscan origin

Example Sentences

In Rome in the 1960s, the Vatican loomed large over the city, its streets intermingling with the secular neighborhoods around it.

From Los Angeles Times

Rossellini remembers her family mailing letters from the Vatican, rather than Rome, because its mail service was notably faster back then.

From Los Angeles Times

The Vatican also represented a cosmopolitan sensibility, as evidenced by the diversity of the cast in the film.

From Los Angeles Times

While the production couldn’t shoot in the actual Vatican, Rossellini, Tucci and Lithgow visited the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museums together.

From Los Angeles Times

Sister Agnes runs Casa Santa Marta inside the Vatican, where the cardinals are sequestered during the conclave.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• pontiff