Robin W. WinksJoseph Epstein
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We hate to drone on, so we’ll give you the TL;DR on pontificate. In ancient Rome, a pontifex (plural pontifices) was a member of an important council of priests. With the rise of Catholicism, the title pontifex was transferred to the Pope and to Catholic bishops. From pontifex, by way of Medieval Latin, comes the English verb pontificate, which in the early 1800s meant “to officiate as a pontiff”—that is, as a bishop or Pope. (Note that the noun pontificate), which refers to the state, office, or term of office of a pontiff had been borrowed directly from Latin in the 15th century.) By the late 1800s, pontificate was also being used derisively for lay individuals who spoke as if they had the authority of a member of the clergy. To this day the word connotes an air of spurious superiority—one might consider this sense of pontificate to be the spiritual forerunner of mansplain.
Examples of pontificate in a Sentence
Eric X. Li, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2016
Numerous times, Rodgers has also expanded his microphone stylings in order to pontificate on politics, personal life-style, hallucinogenic drugs, and other topics that have nothing to do with passing or play-calling.
—Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 27 July 2024
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
During his pontificate, Francis has also been trying to make cracks in the Vatican’s glass ceiling.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pontificate 
Dictionary Entries Near pontificate
Cite this Entry
“Pontificate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pontificate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pontificate
1 of 2 noun
pontificate
2 of 2 verb
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