papacy

Etymology

Circa 14th century, from Middle English papacie, papassie, from Medieval Latin pāpātia, from Latin pāpa (“pope”) + -tia (“office, rank”) (English -cy).

noun

  1. The office of the pope.
    The papacy represents the head of the Catholic Church.
  2. The period of a particular pope's reign.
    The papacy of John Paul II ended in 2005, after the pope's long battle with illness ended.
  3. Roman Catholicism generally.

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