Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

motu proprio

noun
mo·​tu proprio | \ ¦mō(ˌ)tüˈprōprēˌō\

Definition of motu proprio

: a rescript initiated and issued by the pope of his own accord and apart from the advice of others

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

History and Etymology for motu proprio

Latin, by one's own impulse

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about motu proprio

Dictionary Entries near motu proprio

motty

motu

Motu

motu proprio

Mo-tzu

mou

mouch

Statistics for motu proprio

Look-up Popularity

More from Merriam-Webster on motu proprio

Spanish Central: Translation of motu proprio

Nglish: Translation of motu proprio for Spanish Speakers

Comments on motu proprio

What made you want to look up motu proprio? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

writhe

Listen to the pronounciation of writhe

to move or proceed with twists and turns

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

  • roman forum
  • Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games