Where does “pope” come from?
Pope derives from Russian поп, which comes from English pop, ultimately tracing through multiple stages of English popular to an origin whose earliest meaning is unknown.
pope (English): An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of...
Definitions
- An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of...
Ancestry of “pope”, step by step
pope traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English pope
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pope | The pope; Another spiritual leader or head |
| 2 | Old English | pāpa | pope |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | papa | — |
| 4 | Latin | papa | an infant's cry for food; father; bishop |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παπᾶς | priest |
| 6 | Old Norse | súla | pillar, column |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | sūliz | beam, post; column, pillar |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱsewl- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱsew- | to scrape, shave, sharpen |
via Middle English popa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | popa | — |