Meanings
- A mythical female pope who allegedly reigned for a few years during the Middle Ages.
- uncountablecard gamesA card game played on a round board with compartments.
2 more examples
He could sing, and talk, and drink, and keep things stirring, and the gentlemen liked him; and he was, 'twas said, a wonderful fine player at whist, and piquet, and ombre, and all sorts of card-playing. So you see he could afford to play fair. The first time he came down, he fought three duels about a tipsy quarrel over a pool of Pope Joan.
1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the ChurchyardThe game of Pope Joan is played on a special circular board with divisions, and often lacquered in red and gold upon a black background. It was played early in the nineteenth century and several boards exist, mainly in museums and also in some of the stately homes of England. It was a popular game with the Prince of Wales, later Willliam IV.
1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 117
Cite this entry
Pope Joan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pope%20Joan
“Pope Joan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pope%20Joan. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pope Joan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pope%20Joan.
Source: Pope Joan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.