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Added 9 October 2026

pope

/pəʊp/ noun

In Latin: pāpa, pater Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pope at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state.
Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority.
Any similar head of a religion.

verb

To act as or like a pope.
To convert to Roman Catholicism.

noun

Any mulled wine (traditionally including tokay) considered similar and superior to bishop.

noun

Alternative form of pop, a Russian Orthodox priest.

Origin

From Middle English pope, popa, from Old English pāpa, from Vulgar Latin papa (title for priests and bishops, esp. and by 8th c. only the bishop of Rome), from early Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs, title for priests and bishops, especially by 3rd c. the bishop of Alexandria), from late Ancient Greek πάπας (pápas, title for priests and bishops, in the sense of spiritual father), from πάππας (páppas, “papa, daddy”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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