caesaropapism

cae·sar·o·pap·i·sm
C3A1E1S1A1R1O1P3A1P3I1S1M3
UK/ˌsiːzəɹəʊˈpeɪpɪzm̩/US/ˌsiːzəɹoʊˈpeɪpɪz(ə)m/

noun

The combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters.

Similar
caesaropapacycaesaropapalismcaesaropopismErastianismByzantinism
OriginNew Latin caesaro-papia →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

caesaropapism1

nouncaesaropapism (countable and uncountable, plural caesaropapisms)

plural caesaropapisms · alternative Caesaro-Papism · alternative Caesaro-papism · alternative caesaro-papism · alternative Caesaropapism · alternative Cæsaro-Papism · alternative Cæsaro-papism · alternative cæsaro-papism · alternative Cæsaropapism · alternative cæsaropapism · alternative Cesaro-Papism · alternative Cesaro-papism · alternative cesaro-papism · alternative Cesaropapism · alternative cesaropapism

  1. countableuncountablegovernmentThe combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters.

    Shari'a civil law and Ottoman secular fiscal and administrative practice were all combined with Byzantine Caesaropapism, entrenching the ruler as legislator and inhibiting the transition to the rule of law ultimately made in the Empire.

    2016, Peter H[amish] Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe’s History, London: Allen Lane, Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 148

    Synonyms: caesaropapacy, caesaropapalism, caesaropopism

Caesaropapism2

nounCaesaropapism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAlternative letter-case form of caesaropapism.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters.

Similar
caesaropapacycaesaropapalismcaesaropopism

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe doctrine that the state is supreme over the church in ecclesiastical matters

Similar
ErastianismByzantinism
Broader
theological doctrine
Also see
byzantinismcaesaropapacycaesaropapalismcaesaropopismerastianism

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. New Latincaesaro-papia
  2. Englishcaesaropapism

From caesar + -o- + papism, probably modelled after New Latin caesaro-papia, coined by the German ecclesiastical jurist Justus Henning Böhmer (1674–1749) in his work Jus ecclesiasticum Protestantium (Ecclesiastical Law of the Protestants, 1714–1736).

More words from New Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian цезаропапизъм
  • цезаропапизъм (cezaropapizăm)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Catalan cesaropapisme
  • cesaropapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Chinese Mandarin 政教合一
  • 政教合一 (zhèngjiào héyī)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Czech caesaropapismus
  • caesaropapismuscombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Danish Cæsareopapisme, Cæsaropapisme
  • Cæsareopapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
  • Cæsaropapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Dutch cesaropapie
  • cesaropapiecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Esperanto cezaropapismo
  • cezaropapismocombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Finnish kesaropapismi
  • kesaropapismicombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
French césaropapisme
  • césaropapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
German Cäsaropapismus
  • Cäsaropapismuscombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Greek Καισαροπαπισμός
  • Καισαροπαπισμός (Kaisaropapismós)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Hebrew קיסרופאפיזם
  • קיסרופאפיזםcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Hungarian cezaropapizmus
  • cezaropapizmuscombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Indonesian kaesaropapisme
  • kaesaropapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Italian cesaropapismo
  • cesaropapismocombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Japanese カエサロパピスム, 皇帝教皇主義
  • カエサロパピスムcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
  • 皇帝教皇主義combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Korean 황제교황주의
  • 황제교황주의 (hwangjegyohwangjuui)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Norwegian Bokmål cæsaropapisme
  • cæsaropapismecombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Polish cezaropapizm
  • cezaropapizmcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Portuguese cesaropapismo
  • cesaropapismocombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Romanian cezaropapism
  • cezaropapismcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Russian цезаропапи́зм, цезарепапи́зм
  • цезаропапи́зм (cezaropapízm)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
  • цезарепапи́зм (cezarepapízm)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Slovak cézaropapizmus, štátne cirkevníctvo
  • cézaropapizmuscombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
  • štátne cirkevníctvocombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Spanish cesaropapismo
  • cesaropapismocombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Swedish caesareopapism
  • caesareopapismcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Thai จักรพรรดิสันตะปาปานิยม
  • จักรพรรดิสันตะปาปานิยมcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Turkish sezaropapizm
  • sezaropapizmcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Ukrainian цезаропапізм, цезарепапізм
  • цезаропапізм (cezaropapizm)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
  • цезарепапізм (cezarepapizm)combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Welsh Cesar-Babaeth
  • Cesar-Babaethcombination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Cite this entry
APA

caesaropapism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caesaropapism

MLA

“caesaropapism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caesaropapism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caesaropapism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caesaropapism.

Source: caesaropapism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.