papa

[ pah-puh, puh-pah ]
See synonyms for papa on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Papa, a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.

Origin of papa

1
First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French pappa (nursery word); compare Latin pāpa “father” (see pope), Old Norse pāpi, pabbi “father”; see pap1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use papa in a sentence

  • He never asked who or what the sick papas of poor children were when the children pulled him by the lappet of his coat.

    The Caxtons, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
  • My papas gone to the beach, said Tod, trying to be sociable.

British Dictionary definitions for papa (1 of 4)

papa1

/ (pəˈpɑː) /


noun
  1. old-fashioned an informal word for father (def. 1)

Origin of papa

1
C17: from French, a children's word for father; compare Late Latin pāpa, Greek pappa

British Dictionary definitions for papa (2 of 4)

papa2

/ (ˈpɑːpɑː) /


noun
  1. RC Church another name for the pope 1 (def. 1)

Origin of papa

2
C16: from Italian

British Dictionary definitions for papa (3 of 4)

papa3

/ (ˈpɑːpa) /


noun
  1. NZ rare. a soft blue-grey clay of marine siltstone or sandstone

Origin of papa

3
Māori

British Dictionary definitions for Papa (4 of 4)

Papa

/ (ˈpɑːpɑː) /


noun
  1. communications a code word for the letter p

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012