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

Rate Field also hosted a special celebration and Mass honoring his papacy last June. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026

At age 70, Leo has time on his side, and his papacy is likely to outlast the current US administration. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026

With the washing of 12 priests' feet in Rome, Pope Leo made a statement about his papacy while also paying tribute to the ritual's basis in the acts of Jesus as told in the Bible. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026

Over the ensuing 10 months, the Vatican undertook extensive renovations to the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, which hadn’t been used during Francis’ 12-year papacy and was in dire need of an update to bring its electric, plumbing and other utilities up to standard. —ABC News, 14 Mar. 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