pontifex

pon·ti·fex
P3O1N1T1I1F4E1X8
US/ˈpɒn.təˌfɛks/US/ˈpɒn.tɪˌfɛks/

noun

A pontiff, state minister, or high priest, in Ancient Rome.

OriginLatin pontifex →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounpontifex (plural pontifices)

plural pontifices

  1. historicalA pontiff, state minister, or high priest, in Ancient Rome.
    1 more example

    Every traditional civilization is characterized by the presence of beings who […] embody within the temporal order the living and efficacious presence of a power that comes from above. One of these types of beings is the pontifex, according to the inner meaning of the word and according to the original value of the function that he exercised.

    1995, Julius Evola, “Regality”, in Guido Stucco, transl., Revolt against the Modern World, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, translation of Rivolta contro il mondo moderno, →ISBN, page 7

Origin

  1. Latinpontifex
  2. Englishpontifex

Learned borrowing from Latin pontifex. Doublet of pontiff.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pontifex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontifex

MLA

“pontifex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontifex. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pontifex,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontifex.

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