the office or term of office of a pope the system of government in the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope as its head
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
pa•pa•cy /ˈpeɪpəsi/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -cies.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Religionthe office, position, power, or rank of the pope.
- Religionthe period during which a certain pope is in office.
pa•pa•cy
(pā′pə sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies. [Rom. Cath. Ch.]
- Religionthe office, dignity, or jurisdiction of the pope.
- Religionthe system of ecclesiastical government in which the pope is recognized as the supreme head.
- Religionthe period during which a certain pope is in office.
- Religionthe succession or line of the popes.
- Medieval Latin pāpātia. See pope, -acy
- Middle English papacie 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'papacy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-acy
- Avignon
- Church of England
- Ghibelline
- Guelph
- Hochhuth
- Innocent III
- Jesuit
- Ockham
- Philip IV
- papal
- pragmatic sanction