pontiff

English

/ˈpɒntɪf/

noun

Definitions

A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope.
(figuratively) Any chief figure or leader of a religion.
(historical) A pontifex.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French pontife derived from Latin pontifex.

Origin

Latin

pontifex

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms

pontifex English
pontify English
pons Latin
pontifex Latin
pontife French
понтифик Russian
pontífice Spanish, Castilian
pontífice Portuguese
pontife Middle French
pontifex Slovak