pontificate

n.
The office or term of office of a pontiff.

intr.v., -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates. (-kāt')

1. To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way.
2. To administer the office of a pontiff.

[Latin pontificātus, from pontifex, pontific-, pontifex. See pontifex. V., from Medieval Latin pontificāre, pontificāt-, to act as an ecclesiastic, from Latin pontifex.]

pontification pon·tif'i·ca'tion n.
pontificator pon·tif'i·ca'tor n.

(pon-TIF-i-kayt)

verb intr.
To speak in a pompous and dogmatic manner.

Etymology
From Medieval Latin pontificatus, past participle of pontificare (to be an ecclesiastic), from ponti-, from pons (bridge) + facere (to make).
So a pontifex (priest) was literally a bridge-maker between here and the hereafter. The verb pontificate comes from the reputation of a priest to speak bombastically.
This term ultimately originated from the Indo-European root pent- (to tread) that gave us other words such as English find, Dutch pad (path), French pont (bridge), and Russian sputnik (traveling companion)

The word pontificate is pronounced as pon-TIF-i-kit when used as a noun to denote the office of a pontiff.

Usage
"[The media] reported it and they pontificated sagely in their editorials that something should be done." — Judge Hlophe's Red Herring; Cape Business News (South Africa); Mar 16, 2005.

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IN BRIEF: To speak or behave with exaggerated authority.

In journalism it is simpler to sound off than it is to find out. It is more elegant to pontificate than it is to sweat. — Harold Evans

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the government of the Roman Catholic Church
  Synonym: papacy

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The verb pontificate has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: administer a pontifical office

Meaning #2: talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - fungere som pave eller biskop, spille værdig
n. - pontifikat

Nederlands (Dutch)
verkondigen, gewichtig verklaren, pompeus doen, Pauselijk gezag

Français (French)
v. intr. - pontifier
n. - pontificat

Deutsch (German)
v. - den Papst spielen
n. - Pontifikat

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (μτφ.) αποφθέγγομαι
n. - (θρησκ.) αξίωμα ή θητεία Πάπα ή αρχιερέα

Italiano (Italian)
pontificare, pontificato

Português (Portuguese)
v. - pontificar
n. - pontificado (m)

Русский (Russian)
понтификат, вещать, разглагольствовать

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - pontificar
n. - pontificado

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - fungera som påve, spela påve (ofelbar)
n. - pontifikat, påvedöme, påves regeringstid, påvevärdighet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
行教宗职责, 武断地表示意见, 神气活现地行动, 教宗, 高僧的地位, 主教

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 行教宗職責, 武斷地表示意見, 神氣活現地行動
n. - 教宗, 高僧的地位, 主教

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 주교로서 직무를 수행하다
n. - 주교의 직위[임기]

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 大祭司, 司教
adj. - もったいぶって話す, 尊大にふるまう

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يقوم بقداس, حبري, يتكلم على طريقه الأساقفه (الاسم) منصب الحبر أو الأسقف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮התנשא, התנפח, התיימר להיות חסר-טעויות, נהג כאפיפיור, ניהל תפילה (בעיקר הגמון)‬
n. - ‮יהיר ונוקשה בדיעותיו, כהונת האפיפיור, כהונה של הגמון‬

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