A pontiff (from Latin pontifex) was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs.[1][2] The term pontiff was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in Roman Catholic ecclesiastical usage, to bishops, especially the Pope, who is sometimes referred to as the Roman Pontiff or the Supreme Pontiff.[3]
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- ^ "Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007
- ^ William Smith, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, article Pontifex, pp. 939-942
- ^ "Pontiff | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.