Papacy
/ˈpeɪ.pə.si/noun
The office, authority, or period of rule of the pope.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is the same nursery root that gave Latin *pater* and English *father*, showing how a term of kinship became the title of one of history’s most powerful offices.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ph₂tḗr
“father”
Latin
Latin
pater
“father”
Late Latin
Latin
papa
“father; bishop, pope”
Old French
Old French
papacie
“the office or jurisdiction of the pope”
Middle English
English
papacie
“the papal office or authority”
Modern English
English
papacy
“the office, authority, or period of rule of the pope”