pontiff

pontiff · noun¹

1. Latin · derived frompontifex m
2. Middle French · borrowed frompontife m
3. English todaypontiff

Borrowed from Middle French pontife m, from Latin pontifex m. Doublet of pontifex.

Pontiff · proper noun²

From pontiff, a nickname for someone who had played the role of the pope in a medieval religious play, or for a vain and pompous person.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. A member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs; a pontifex.
• from 16th c. A bishop of the early Church; now specifically, the Pope.
• from 16th c. Any chief figure or leader of a religion.