papacy

noun

pa·​pa·​cy ˈpā-pə-sē 

plural papacies

1

: the office of pope

2

: a succession or line of popes

3

: the term of a pope's reign

4

capitalized : the system of government of the Roman Catholic Church of which the pope is the supreme head

Examples of papacy in a Sentence

He was selected by the cardinals for the papacy.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the first official document of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV placed the poor at the heart of the Catholic Church's teaching, calling bishops around the world to take on the mantle of social justice in defense of the most vulnerable in society, including migrants. —Claire Giangrave, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025

The last pope to visit Lebanon was Pope Benedict XVI in September 2012 on what was the final foreign trip of his papacy. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

At the center is the largest bell, from Italy’s Marinelli Foundry, a nearly 1,000-year-old family business that makes bells for the Vatican and papacy. —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025

Many pilgrims hailed it as a sign of welcome following Pope Francis’ 12-year papacy, while critics in Catholic media blasted the move as undermining church tradition. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English papacie, from Medieval Latin papatia, from Late Latin papa pope — more at pope

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing papacy

• the papacy

Kids Definition

papacy

noun

pa·​pa·​cy ˈpā-pə-sē 

plural papacies

1

: the office of pope

2

: the term of a pope's reign

3

capitalized : the government of the Roman Catholic Church of which the pope is the head