Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pontiff

/ˈpɒntɪf/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English

Syllables
pon-tiff
IPA
/ˈpɒntɪf/
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex.

noun

A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope.

noun

Any chief figure or leader of a religion.

name

A surname transferred from the nickname.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French pontife m, from Latin pontifex m. Doublet of pontifex.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈpɒntɪf/

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

pontiffs (plural)

Derived Forms

pontify

Frequently Paired Words

pontificate

Synonyms

pope catholic pope roman catholic pope holy father vicar of christ bishop of rome

Questions

How do you pronounce pontiff?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɒntɪf/.
What does pontiff mean?
A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex.
Where does pontiff come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce pontiff

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pontiff”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɒntɪf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pontiff”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pontiff” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.