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

Papacy : 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

As the first year of of Pope Leo XIV’s historic pontificate comes to a close, here are 10 milestone moments from the Chicago native’s nascent papacy. —Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026

Two months into his papacy last year, the pontiff called his bank in Chicago to change his phone number and address, McCarthy said. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 May 2026

Francis had made reaching out to migrants and refugees a hallmark of his papacy, and Leo has followed suit by demanding dignified treatment of migrants, especially in his native United States. —Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

But that’s not as strong as previous popes at the beginning of their papacies. —Emily Guskin, ABC News, 6 May 2026

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