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

The small town about 15 miles south of the Vatican has hosted popes for the summer dating back to the 1600s, but Pope Francis never took a summer vacation during his 12-year papacy. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 6 July 2025

During his papacy, he was praised and criticized for commenting on political issues, from immigration to LGBTQ issues. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

However, the continuities are significantly more profound than the mere order of their papacies. —Raúl E. Zegarra, Time, 17 May 2025

Sunday, May 18: Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend Pope Leo XIV’s first Mass of his papacy. —Cate Martel, The Hill, 15 May 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