papacy
noun/ˈpeɪ.pə.si/
Etymology Circa 14th century, from Middle English papacie, papassie, from Medieval Latin pāpātia, from Latin pāpa (“pope”) + -tia (“office, rank”) (English -cy).
1
The office of a pope.
2
Usually The office of the pope of Rome, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
- The Vatican defends the primacy of the papacy.
3
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.
4
Derogatory, Often Roman Catholicism generally: synonym of popery.
- Derived terms
- antipapacy, caesaropapacy
- Related terms
- papal, papism, pope, popishness, abbacy, fatherness, paternity