pontifex
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pon·ti·fex
(pŏn′tə-fĕks′)n. pl. pon·tif·i·ces (pŏn-tĭf′ĭ-sēz′)
A man on the highest council of priests in ancient Rome.
[Latin; see pent- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pontifex
(ˈpɒntɪˌfɛks)n, pl pontifices (pɒnˈtɪfɪˌsiːz)
(Historical Terms) (in ancient Rome) any of the senior members of the Pontifical College, presided over by the Pontifex Maximus
[C16: from Latin, perhaps from Etruscan but influenced by folk etymology as if meaning literally: bridge-maker, from pons bridge + -fex from facere to make]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pon•ti•fex
(ˈpɒn təˌfɛks)n., pl. pon•tif•i•ces (pɒnˈtɪf əˌsiz)
a member of the highest body of priests in ancient Rome.
[1570–80; < Latin: appar. literally, path-maker =ponti-, comb. form of pōns bridge, probably orig., path + -fex -fex]
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Noun | 1. | pontifex - a member of the highest council of priests in ancient Rome capital of Italy, Eternal City, Italian capital, Rome, Roma - capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire priest - a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders antiquity - the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe |
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