Where does “pontificate” come from?
Pontificate comes from Latin pontificatus, from pontifex (chief priest), combining pontis (bridge) and facere (to make), from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- (to put or place).
pontificate (English): The status or term of office of a pontiff or...
Definitions
- The status or term of office of a pontiff or...
Ancestry of “pontificate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pontificatus | pontificate |
| 2 | Latin | pontifex | a high priest, State minister in ancient Rome; a... |
| 3 | Latin | pōns | A bridge, a construction or natural feature that spans a divide |
| 4 | Latin | fractus | broken, shattered, having been broken;... |
| 5 | Latin | frangere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | frangō | to break, shatter |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |