Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Papacy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Papacy \Pa"pa*cy\, n. [LL. papatia, fr. L. papa a father,
bishop. See {Pope}.]
1. The office and dignity of the pope, or pontiff, of Rome;
papal jurisdiction.
2. The popes, collectively; the succession of popes.
3. The Roman Catholic religion; -- commonly used by the
opponents of the Roman Catholics in disparagement or in an
opprobrious sense.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
papacy
n : the government of the Roman Catholic Church [syn: {pontificate}]
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