Papist
/ˈpeɪ.pɪst/noun
A person who adheres to the authority of the pope, especially a Roman Catholic, traditionally used as a derogatory term.
Did you know?During the Protestant Reformation, “papist” was chiefly a polemical term used by opponents of Roman Catholicism rather than a preferred self-description by Catholics.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek, 2nd century CE
Greek
πάππας (pappas)
“A child’s word for father; later a familiar title for a bishop or patriarch”
Late Antiquity
Latin
papa
“Father; an affectionate or honorific title for a bishop”
Early Medieval period
Ecclesiastical Latin
papa
“A title increasingly associated specifically with the bishop of Rome”
16th century
French
papiste
“An adherent of the pope; a term used in Reformation-era religious controversy”
16th century
English
papist
“A follower of the pope, commonly used by Protestant writers as a hostile or disparaging label”
Modern English
English
papist
“A person loyal to papal authority, chiefly in historical or derogatory usage”