noun / verb
pontificate
The office or service of a pope or bishop.
The pope's pontificate begins with a call for peace.
Etymology
The Latin ancestor names the office of a pontiff. The ecclesiastical sense applies that office-name to the service or tenure of a pope or bishop.
More examples
- Her research compares the pontificates of three medieval popes.
- Several major reforms took place during his pontificate.
- The bishop pontificates at the cathedral on Easter Sunday.
Forms
pontificate · pontificates · pontificated · pontificating
pontiff noun — A pope or, more broadly, a bishop.
pontifical adjective — Relating to a pope or a bishop.
Similar words
- papacy
- Specifically the pope's office or tenure, not a bishop's.
- episcopate
- Refers specifically to a bishop's office, rank, or tenure.