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Definition of papal

papal

/ˈpeɪ.pəl/
pa · pal
Adverb:papally
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papal Lexical Profile

papal Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Relating to a pope or the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Example

"Thousands of pilgrims gathered in the square to receive the papal blessing."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for papal
Antonyms
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• Rhymes for papal

• Nearby Words

papa
papacy
papad
papal
paparazzi
paparazzo
papaver

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French papal and Medieval Latin papalis, derived from Ecclesiastical Latin papa ('bishop' or 'pope'), ultimately from Ancient Greek pappas ('father').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Papal. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/papal
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