pope

Etymology 1

From Middle English pope, popa, from Old English pāpa, from Vulgar Latin papa (title for priests and bishops, esp. and by 8th c. only the bishop of Rome), from early Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs, title for priests and bishops, especially by 3rd c. the bishop of Alexandria), from late Ancient Greek πάπας (pápas, title for priests and bishops, in the sense of spiritual father), from πάππας (páppas, “papa, daddy”).

noun

1. (Roman Catholicism and generally) An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state.
   1. (by extension, now often ironic) Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority.
      We often say, that every man has a pope in his belly. 1689, G. Bulkeley, “People's Right to Election”, in Andros Tracts, published 1869, II. 106
      Burne-Jones... accepted him [Dante Gabriel Rossetti] as the infallible Pope of Art. 1893 January 19, Nation (N.Y.), 46/3
      Both [discoveries] were rejected offhand by the popes of the field. 1972 June 2, Science, 966/2
      Above all, the SED reformers cite the progress inherent in the emancipation of Westem Communist parties from the "red popes in the Kremlin." 1978, Atlas World Press Review, volume 25, page 19
   2. (by extension) Any similar head of a religion.
      In þat yle dwelleth the Pope of hire lawe, þat þei clepen lobassy. c. 1400, John Mandeville, Travels (Titus C.xvi, 1919), 205
      Mufti, the Mahometan pope or chief of the religion. 1787, Vincent Mignot, translated by A. Hawkins, The history of the Turkish, or Ottoman Empire, section IV
      Although Islam has no formal hierarchy of clergy, Tantawy [Egypt's grand imam] often is called the Muslim pope. 2005 April 6, Kansas City Star, b7
   3. (uncommon) A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses.
      Eche day there etyn in his court xii erchebeshopis and xx bishopis, and the patriak of Seynt Thomays is as here pope. ante 1500, John Mandeville, Travels (Rawl., 1953), 103
      Ramone, known as ‘the Pope of Pop’ is one of the top record producer-engineers in the world. 1993 December, Vanity Fair (N.Y.), 62/1
   4. (UK) An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times.
      This is the only piece in which the author has given a hint of his religion, by ridiculing the ceremony of burning the pope, and by mentioning with some indignation the inscription […] 1830, Alexander Pope, The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, page xxi
      As York's succession was challenged by burning the pope, the Duke of Monmouth was again heralded in the city as a Protestant alternative. 2005, Gary S. De Krey, London and the Restoration, 1659–1683, page 182
   5. (US, obsolete) Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day.
2. (Coptic Church) An honorary title of the Coptic bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his church.
3. (Eastern Orthodoxy) An honorary title of the Orthodox bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his autocephalous church.
4. (Christianity, historical, obsolete) Any bishop of the early Christian church.
   1563, 2nd Tome Homelyes, sig. Hh.i All notable Bishops were then called popes.
   All Bishops in that time had the Stile of Pope given them, as now we call every one of them, My Lord. 1703, U. Chevreau, Hist. World, III. v. 379
5. (Britain) The ruffe, a small Eurasian freshwater fish (Gymnocephalus cernua); others of its genus.
   Byfleet-river, wherein are very large pikes, jack, and tench ; perch, of eighteen inches long ; good carp, large flounders, bream, roach, dace, gudgeons, popes, large chub, and eels. 1792, William Augustus Osbaldiston, The British Sportsman, Or, Nobleman, Gentleman and Farmer's Dictionary of Recreation and Amusement, page 176
   It resembles the perch (unfortunately for itself) in having a very long and prickly fin on its back, advantage of which is taken by the boys about Windsor, who are very fond of 'plugging a pope.' This operation consists in fixing a bung in the sharp spines on the poor pope's back fin, and then throwing him into the water. 1862, Francis T. Buckland, Curiosities of Natural History, page 230
   Popes are caught whilst gudgeon-fishing with the red worm, but they are sometimes a great nuisance to the perch-fisher, as they take the minnow. January 14 1865, Astley H. Baldwin, “Small Fry”, in Once a Week, page 105
6. (UK regional, Cumberland, Cornwall, Devon, Scotland) The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica).
   Alca genus; 6 species, including the razorbill, the penguin, the pope, and others. 1759, “Linnæus's Systema Naturæ”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, page 456
   The Pope: This is a very singular bird; it is about the size of our widgeon, or somewhat larger, but is not quite so large as the duck: the head is large and rounded; the eyes are small, and stand forward on the head, and lower down than in the generality of birds … 1773, John Hill, “Alca”, in A General Natural History, volume 3, page 442
   "About a hundred yards further North" says Troutbeck, "is a 'subterraneous' cavern called the Pope's Hole, about fifty fathoms under the ground, into which the sea flows, so called from a sort of bird which roosts in it by night, about ninety feet high above the level of the water."!! … It derives its name from its being a place of shelter to some puffins, vulgo "popes". 1822, George Woodley, A view of the present state of the Scilly Islands, pages 264–5
   The Norsemen catch great numbers of these popes, parrots, or lunder, as they are variously named, and train dogs to go into the holes where the puffin has its nest, lying in it with feet in the air. 1864, Charles Issac Elton, Norway: The Road and the Fell, page 94
   I was informed by a fisherman that there were now hundreds of gannets in the channel off Plymouth, and that he had also met with some puffins (which he called "popes") 1874, J. Van Voorst, Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History, page 3904
7. (US regional) The painted bunting (Passerina ciris).
   The Pope is of a bright blue round the head; on the throat it is of a fine red, and on the back of a gold green colour, it sings very finely and is the size of a canary bird. 1771, M. Bossu, Travels Through that Part of North America Formerly Called Louisiana, volume 1, page 371
   The birds [of Louisiana] are the partridge, cardinal and pope, and a species of mocking bird, called the nightingale. 1806, Berquin-Duvallon, Travels in Louisiana and the Floridas, in the Year, 1802: Giving a Correct Picture of Those Countries, page 122
   … some others, such as the crow, the heron, and the wild goose, which are found in Europe, I also observed ; but the most beautiful are the pope bird, whose head seems bound with the most bright azure blue, and the cardinal, being entirely of dazzling scarlet … 1821, Édouard de Montulé, A Voyage to North America, and the West Indies in 1817, page 54
8. (rare) The red-cowled cardinal (Paroaria dominicana).
   From the sketch of the bird which you have sent us, there is no doubt about its being the Pope Grosbeak, which is a species of the Cardinal, but not the crested one. August 6 1864, The Journal of Horticulture, Cottage Gardener, and Country Gentleman, page 100
   The Pope is a native of Brazil, and the female (it is altogether incongrouous to think of a lady pontiff) exactly resembles her mate. 1883, William Thomas Greene, The amateur's aviary of foreign birds: or, How to keep and breed foreign birds, page 96
   SIR,—I should be glad to learn how to treat Pope birds (Crestless Cardinals) when nesting. 1895, A. A. Thom, “Dominican cardinals”, in The Avicultural Magazine, page 128
   Besides the Bicheno's Finches in this Class, the judge disqualified, in other Classes, a pair of Magpie Mannikins and a pair of Popes. These entries were presumably all disqualified on the ground that they were not true pairs: they are all birds in which the outward differences between the sexes (if there be any outward difference at all) are of an extremely slight and uncertain nature. 1898, The Avicultural Magazine, volume 4, page 87
   The wisest plan is always to keep the Pope Cardinal in an aviary, and to have only one pair to each aviary. 1956, Foreign birds for cage and aviary, volume 4, page 20

verb

1. (intransitive or with 'it') To act as or like a pope.
   1537, T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman, Life & Lett. Cromwell (1902), II. 89
   Vrban the eight, that now Popeth it. 1624, R. Montagu, Gagg for New Gospell?, xiii. 95
   He would pope it in his own way, God guiding him. 1966 February, Duckett's Reg., 14/2
   I saw where the Pope poped and where the pigeons flocked. Pretty interesting if you're Catholic and like pigeons. 1989 September 24, Los Angeles Times, iii. 22/1
2. (intransitive, colloquial) To convert to Roman Catholicism.
   I'm not going to ‘Pope’ until after the war (if I'm alive). c. 1916, in Evelyn Waugh's Life R. Knox (1959), ii. i. 142
   A prominent Anglican priest had, to use the term generally employed on these occasions, ‘Poped’—that is, left the Church of England in order to become a Roman Catholic. 1990 October 7, Sunday Telegraph, 26/5

Etymology 2

By analogy with bishop (“mulled and spiced wine”).

noun

1. (alcoholic beverages) Any mulled wine (traditionally including tokay) considered similar and superior to bishop.
   When made with Burgundy or Bordeaux, the mixture was called Bishop; when with old Rhenish, its name was Cardinal; and when with Tokay, it was dignified with the title of Pope. 1855, C. W. Johnson, Farmer's & Planter's Encycl. Rural Affairs, published 1157, section 1
   ‘Pope’, i.e. mulled burgundy, is Antichristian, from no mere Protestant point of view. 1920, G. Saintsbury, Notes on Cellar-bk., xi. 162
   Pope, a spiced drink made from tokay..., ginger, honey and roasted orange. 1965, O. A. Mendelsohn, Dict. Drink, section 264
   Many of these hot drinks have clerical names—Bishop being a type of mulled port, Cardinal using claret, and Pope Champagne. 1976 January 15, Times (London), 12/8

Etymology 3

From Russian поп (pop), from Old Church Slavonic попъ (popŭ), from Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs) as above.

noun

1. (Russian Orthodoxy) Alternative form of pop, a Russian Orthodox priest.
   The other Ecclesiastical Orders are distinguish'd into Proto-popes, Popes, (or Priests) and Deacons. 1662, A. Olearius, translated by J. Davies, Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors, section 139
   Every priest is called pope, which implies father. 1756, Compend. Authentic & Entertaining Voy., V. 202
   In the non-Roman rites diocesan priests are often referred to as popes. 1996 September 20, Daily Telegraph, 25/5

Etymology 4

Of Onomatopoeic origin.

noun

1. (US, dialectal, obsolete) whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferus, syn. Caprimulgus vociferus).
   The Whipperwill has so named itself by its nocturnal songs. It is also called the pope, by reason of its darting with great swiftness, from the clouds almost to the ground, and bawling out Pope! 1781, S. Peters, Gen. Hist. Connecticut, section 257
2. (US, dialectal, rare) nighthawk (Chordeiles minor).
   Common Nighthawk... Pope (Conn[ecticut]. From the sound made by its wings while dropping through the air). 1956, Massachusetts Audubon Soc. Bull., 40 81