Vatican

noun

Vat·​i·​can ˈva-ti-kən 

1

: the papal headquarters in Rome

2

: the papal government

Vatican adjective

Examples of Vatican in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Christopher Lamb, who is CNN’s Vatican Correspondent, told Variety late last week that the race is still very open and underlined the fact that the provenance of papal contenders has changed. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Apr. 2025

His funeral took place in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Saturday, April 26. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025

The weather has been spectacular all week in Vatican City, and conditions for the funeral also look terrific, forecasters said. —Susan Miller, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on Saturday while both were in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. —Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin (mons) Vāticānus, hill on the west bank of the Tiber, the traditional site of the apostle Peter's tomb, on which a basilica was built in the 4th century

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Vatican

• the Vatican