pontifex
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin pontifex. Doublet of pontiff.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 331: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GenAm" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈpɒn.təˌfɛks/, /ˈpɒn.tɪˌfɛks/
- Hyphenation: pon‧ti‧fex
Noun
pontifex (plural pontifices)
- (historical) A pontiff, or high priest, in Ancient Rome.
Latin
Etymology
Often interpreted as a compound originally meaning “bridge-maker”, from Proto-Italic *pontifaks, equivalent to pōns (“bridge”) + -fex (“suffix representing a maker or producer”), either metaphorically “one who negotiates between gods and men” or literally if at some point the social class which supplied the priests was more or less identical with engineers that were responsible for building bridges. Compare Sanskrit पथिकृत् (pathikṛ́t, “path-maker”), attested as an epithet of rishis in the Rig Veda.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈpon.ti.feks/, [ˈpɔn̪t̪ɪfɛks̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈpon.ti.feks/, [ˈpɔn̪t̪ifeks]
Noun
pontifex m (genitive pontificis); third declension
- an ancient Roman high priest, state minister, pontiff
- Synonym: antistes
- a pontiff or bishop of the early Christian church, now specifically the Pope
Declension
Third-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | pontifex | pontificēs |
Genitive | pontificis | pontificum |
Dative | pontificī | pontificibus |
Accusative | pontificem | pontificēs |
Ablative | pontifice | pontificibus |
Vocative | pontifex | pontificēs |
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- “pontifex”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “pontifex”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- pontifex in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- pontifex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- “pontifex”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- pontifex in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
- “pontifex”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 480
Slovak
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
pontifex m anim
- a high priest in ancient Rome
- a pontiff or bishop of the early Christian church, now specifically the Pope
Declension
Declension of pontifex
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | pontifex | pontifikovia |
genitive | pontifika | pontifikov |
dative | pontifikovi | pontifikom |
accusative | pontifika | pontifikov |
locative | pontifikovi | pontifikoch |
instrumental | pontifikom | pontifikmi |
Further reading
- “pontifex”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024
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