Papacy

  • 1Papacy —     Papacy     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Papacy     This term is employed in an ecclesiastical and in an historical signification. In the former of these uses it denotes the ecclesiastical system in which the pope as successor of St. Peter and… …

    Catholic encyclopedia

  • 2Papacy — Pa pa*cy, n. [LL. papatia, fr. L. papa a father, bishop. See {Pope}.] 1. The office and dignity of the pope, or pontiff, of Rome; papal jurisdiction. [1913 Webster] 2. The popes, collectively; the succession of popes. [1913 Webster] 3. The Roman… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3papacy — (n.) late 14c., from M.L. papatia papal office, from L.L. papa pope (see POPE (Cf. pope)) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4papacy — ► NOUN (pl. papacies) ▪ the pope s office or tenure. ORIGIN from Latin papa pope …

    English terms dictionary

  • 5papacy — [pā′pə sē] n. pl. papacies [ME papacie < ML(Ec) papatia < LL(Ec) papa, bishop, POPE] 1. a) the rank of pope; papal office b) the term of office of one or more popes c) the whole succession of popes 2. [also …

    English World dictionary

  • 6papacy — /pay peuh see/, n., pl. papacies. Rom. Cath. Ch. 1. the office, dignity, or jurisdiction of the pope. 2. the system of ecclesiastical government in which the pope is recognized as the supreme head. 3. the period during which a certain pope is in… …

    Universalium

  • 7papacy — [[t]pe͟ɪpəsi[/t]] also Papacy N SING: usu the N The papacy is the position, power, and authority of the Pope, including the period of time that a particular person holds this position. Throughout his papacy, John Paul has called for a second… …

    English dictionary

  • 8papacy — UK [ˈpeɪpəsɪ] / US noun Word forms papacy : singular papacy plural papacies 1) the papacy the position or power of the pope 2) [countable] the period during which a particular person is the Pope …

    English dictionary

  • 9papacy — noun a) The office of the pope. The papacy represents the head of the Catholic Church. b) The period of a particular popes reign. The papacy of John Paul II ended in 2005, after the popes long battle with illness ended. See Also …

    Wiktionary

  • 10papacy — pa|pa|cy [ˈpeıpəsi] n 1.) the papacy the position and authority of the Pope 2.) [U] the time during which a Pope is in power …

    Dictionary of contemporary English