Word of the Day: PONTIFICATE

To sound off or sermonize

pontificate (verb) - to speak or expound in a dogmatic and pompous manner; to act or officiate as a pontiff [pon-tif-i-keyt]

• a pontiff is a high ranking Catholic bishop or official, primarily the Pope

BREAKDOWN: Pontificate can be broken down by roots to mean something like act as a pontiff, which raises a different definition question. The word pontiff is synonymous today with the Pope but formerly referenced bishops or other high ranking priests in the religion of Rome. The word derives from the Church Latin pontifex, which was a specific title for a church official. Pontifex literally means bridge-builder, from the roots PON- meaning bridge and FIC- meaning to make.

See also: beneficiary, edifice, officious, ramification, suffice

“Ignorance and arrogance are a lethal combination. Nowhere do we see that more clearly among writers and performers who pontificate as historians when they know nothing about history.” —Victor Davis Hanson

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]