Pontifex
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A pontiff, state minister, or high priest, in Ancient Rome. historical
"Every traditional civilization is characterized by the presence of beings who […] embody within the temporal order the living and efficacious presence of a power that comes from above. One of these types of beings is the pontifex, according to the inner meaning of the word and according to the original value of the function that he exercised."
- 2 a member of the highest council of priests in ancient Rome wordnet
Example
More examples"Every traditional civilization is characterized by the presence of beings who […] embody within the temporal order the living and efficacious presence of a power that comes from above. One of these types of beings is the pontifex, according to the inner meaning of the word and according to the original value of the function that he exercised."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin pontifex. Doublet of pontiff.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.