Definitions for pontiff
ˈpɒn tɪfpon·tiff

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pope, Catholic Pope, Roman Catholic Pope, pontiff, Holy Father, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Romenoun

   the head of the Roman Catholic Church

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pontiffnoun

   A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope.

2. pontiffnoun

   Any chief figure or leader of a religion.

3. pontiffnoun

   A pontifex.

4. Etymology: From pontife, from pontifex.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pontiffnoun

   Etymology: pontife, Fr. pontifex, Latin.

   1. A priest; a high priest.

   Livy relates, that there were found two coffins, whereof the one contained the body of Numa, and the other, his books of ceremonies, and the discipline of the pontiffs. Francis Bacon.

   2. The pope.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pontiff

   A pontiff (from Latin pontifex) was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs. The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in Roman Catholic ecclesiastical usage, to bishops, especially the Pope, who is sometimes referred to as the Roman Pontiff or the Supreme Pontiff.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pontiff

   A pontiff is a religious leader or high priest, typically in the context of the Roman Catholic Church where it refers to the Pope. It can also be used to refer to any bishop or major religious leader in other faiths. The term originates from the Latin word "pontifex," which means "bridge builder," symbolizing the role as a mediator between humans and the divine.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pontiffnoun

   a high priest

2. Pontiffnoun

   one of the sacred college, in ancient Rome, which had the supreme jurisdiction over all matters of religion, at the head of which was the Pontifex Maximus

3. Pontiffnoun

   the chief priest

4. Pontiffnoun

   the pope

5. Etymology: [F. pontife, L. pontifex, -ficis; pons, pontis, a bridge (perhaps originally, a way, path) + facere to make. Cf. Pontoon.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pontiff

   A pontiff was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs. The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in Christian ecclesiastical usage, to a bishop and more particularly to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope or "Roman Pontiff".

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Pontiff

   pon′tif, n. (R.C.) a bishop, esp. the pope—originally an ancient Roman high-priest, the Pon′tifex.—adjs. Pontif′ic, -al, of or belonging to a pontiff or to a bishop, esp. the pope: splendid: magnificent.—n. Pontif′ical, an office-book of ecclesiastical ceremonies proper to a bishop.—adv. Pontif′ically.—n.pl. Pontif′icals, the dress of a priest, bishop, or pope.—n. Pontif′icate, the dignity of a pontiff or high-priest: the office and dignity or reign of a pope.—v.i. to perform the duties of a pontiff.—n. Pon′tifice (Milt.), bridge-work, a bridge.—Pontifical mass, mass celebrated by a bishop while wearing his full vestments. [Fr. pontife—L. pontifex, pontificis—pons, pont-is, a bridge, facĕre, to make.]

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pontiff

   The Pope of Rome bears this name conformably to the Latin pons, bridge, and facere, to make, because the earliest bridge over the Tiber was constructed at the sole cost of the High Priest of the Romans.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PONTIFF

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pontiff is ranked #39352 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Pontiff surname appeared 559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Pontiff.
   
   94.6% or 529 total occurrences were White.
   1.9% or 11 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   1.6% or 9 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   0.8% or 5 total occurrences were Black.

How to pronounce pontiff?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pontiff in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pontiff in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pontiff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of pontiff in a Sentence

1. Jo Ann Zuñiga:

   The only difference is that there is, of course, no need to elect a new pontiff in this case.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pontiff
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pontiff
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=pontiff
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiff
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pontiff
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=pontiff
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=pontiff
9. ^ Etymology and Origins
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54657/pg54657-images.html#:~:text=pontiff
10. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
    https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html