pontificate

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“
The election for the pontificate was on the 6th of March, and soon after

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun The office or term of office of a pontiff.
  2. intransitive verb To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way.
  3. intransitive verb To administer the office of a pontiff.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

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Examples (50)

  • Old Catulus, whom Caesar had defeated in the contest for the pontificate, and Caius Calpurnius Piso,[15] a bitter aristocrat, whom Caesar had prosecuted for misgovernment in Gaul, urged Cicero to include his name. —  Caesar: A Sketch
  • One of the key elements of Pope Benedict's pontificate is the hermeneutic of continuity, which he introduced in his famous allocution to the Roman Curia on 22 December —  New Liturgical Movement
  • Three years into Benedict's pontificate, Father Vlasic today finds himself severely and publicly disciplined in a way which is rare for a person linked so closely to a movement as popular as Medjugorje, which has attracted 30 million pilgrims in 27 years. —  Te Deum laudamus!
  • I will not pontificate, speculate, complain, or opine. —  No. Calories Needed
  • It is not the cruellest month of his pontificate - there are many others that can qualify for that designation - but it will undoubtedly be an occasion to reflect on what has transpired since the last anniversary. —  Clerical Whispers
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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Latin pontificātus, from pontifex, pontific-, pontifex; see pontifex. V., from Medieval Latin pontificāre, pontificāt-, to act as an ecclesiastic, from Latin pontifex.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from French pontificat = Spanish pg. pontificado = Italian pontificato, from Latin pontificatus, the office of a pontiff, from pontifex (-fic-), pontiff: see pontiff.
  2. from Middle Latin pontificatus, past participle of pontificure, perform a pontifi's duties, from Latin pontifex(-fic-), pontiff: see pontiff.
 

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/pɑnˈtɪfɪkeɪt/
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