Vatican
/ˈvæ.tɪ.kən/ proper noun, adjective
Forms the Vatican
- proper noun The official residence of the Pope within Vatican City, the Vatican or Apostolic Palace.
- proper noun (metonymic) The papal government; the papacy, the Holy See.
- proper noun A city-state in Southern Europe, an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy.
- proper noun The Vatican Hill in Rome, where the palace and Vatican City are located.
- adjective Relating to the Vatican City state.
Synonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin Vātī̆cānus (“Vatican Hill”), further etymology unknown. The connection to vāticinārī (“to prophesy, oracle”) is folk-etymological.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A magnificent assemblage of buildings at Rome, near the church of St. Peter, including the pope's palace, a museum, a library, a famous chapel, etc.
Etymology [L. Vaticanus, mons, or collis, Vaticanus, the Vatican hill, in Rome, on the western bank of the Tiber: cf. F. Vatican, It. Vaticano.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Vatican”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details