Popemobile

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An armored motorcar specially designed and built to safely transport the Pope during public appearances and travel
2. A fortified automobile constructed with protective features to carry the Pope securely through crowds and on journeys
3. A specially equipped and shielded vehicle used to convey the Pope safely during official visits and public events

Etymology: "Popemobile" is a compound of "pope" and "-mobile," the latter drawn from the Latin "mobilis," meaning "movable." The "-mobile" element became productive in the twentieth century, as in "automobile," "bookmobile" and "snowmobile," and it was attached to "pope" to name the specially adapted vehicle in which the pontiff travels among crowds, typically an open-sided car or van that allows him to be seen and to greet people. The word is a calque, meaning a term built by translating the parts of a word from another language rather than borrowing it directly. Its model was Italian "papamobile," which follows the same pattern, joining "papa" ("pope") with "mobile." The English version thus reproduces the Italian construction piece by piece, so the two words share both their structure and their meaning.

Synonyms: papal car