archpapist
|arch-pap-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˈɑrtʃˌpeɪpɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˈɑːtʃˌpeɪpɪst/
chief/leading papist (often pejorative)
Etymology
'archpapist' originates from an English compound combining the Greek-derived prefix 'arch-' (from Greek 'arkhos'/'arkhē') meaning 'chief' and 'papist' from Late Latin 'papista' (from 'papa'), where 'papa' meant 'father' (used for the pope).
'archpapist' developed in Early Modern English by compounding 'arch-' + 'papist'; 'papist' itself came into Middle English from Late Latin 'papista' and was widely used in 16th–17th century polemical English before becoming archaic.
Initially it literally meant 'chief papist' or 'principal supporter of the pope', and was used in polemical contexts to name the pope or leading Catholics; over time the term fell out of common use and is now archaic and chiefly historical or pejorative in sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a chief or principal papist; historically used (often pejoratively) by Protestants to refer to the Pope or a leading Roman Catholic.
Contemporaries accused him of acting like an archpapist, answering only to Rome.
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Noun 2
(extended) A staunch defender or extreme adherent of papal authority within the Catholic Church.
He was regarded within the faction as an archpapist who would oppose any compromise with reformers.
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Last updated: 2025/10/08 08:30