Papacy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpeɪ.pə.si/

Definitions

1. The leadership role held by the Pope within the Catholic Church encapsulates the authority exercised over spiritual guidance and ecclesiastical governance
2. The ecclesiastical office held by the Pope symbolizes both the central governance of the Catholic Church and the spiritual legacy that guides its followers globally
3. The institution encompassing the authority and duties of the Pope as head of the Catholic Church

Etymology: The word "papacy" is built from "pope" plus a suffix meaning "office" or "rank." Its root, Latin "pāpa," was a affectionate term for a father, borrowed from baby-talk, and it later came to mean the bishop of Rome. Medieval Latin then formed "pāpātia" by adding "-tia," a suffix attached to words for offices and ranks, so the sense was simply "the position held by the pope." English took the word around the 14th century, first as "papacie" and "papassie," spellings that show how the Latin ending was gradually reshaped by English speakers. The modern "-cy" ending comes from the same family of suffixes seen in words like "captaincy" and "diplomacy," which all name a office or condition.

Synonyms: pontificate, Holy See