pontificate
Use Pontificate in a sentence
ɪ noun
1.
the office or term of office of a pontiff.
verb (used without object), pon·tif·i·cat·ed, pon·tif·i·cat·ing.
2.
to perform the office or duties of a pontiff.
3.
to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen?
4.
to serve as a bishop, especially in a Pontifical Mass.
Origin:
1575–85; (noun) < Latin pontificātus; see pontifical, -ate3; (v.) < Medieval Latin pontificātus past participle of pontificāre to be an ecclesiastic; see -ate1
1575–85; (noun) < Latin pontificātus; see pontifical, -ate3; (v.) < Medieval Latin pontificātus past participle of pontificāre to be an ecclesiastic; see -ate1
Related forms
pon·tif·i·ca·tion, noun
pon·tif·i·ca·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pontificate
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Pontificate
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| pontificate | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | Also (less commonly): pontify to speak or behave in a pompous or dogmatic manner |
| 2. | to serve or officiate as a pontiff, esp in celebrating a Pontifical Mass |
| —n | |
| 3. | the office or term of office of a pontiff, now usually the pope |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pontificate
1818, "to act as a pontiff," from pp. stem of M.L. pontificare, from L. pontifex (see pontiff). Meaning "to assume pompous and dignified airs, issue dogmatic decrees" is from 1825.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
His pontificate marked a solidifying of discipline and thought, a time of reform and invention both.
Maybe he's just a short man who needs to pontificate.
Fortunately, as people wake up and ban him, there are fewer and fewer places for him to pontificate.
Giving him the unique elevation that allows him the power to pontificate on matters of little consequence to his fiefdom.
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