Etymology: < post-classical Latin papa, honorary title given to bishops (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), honorary title given to the bishop of Rome (from early 4th cent.; almost exclusively in this sense from the end of the 8th cent.) < Byzantine Greek παπᾶς , variant of ancient Greek πάππας , later πάπας , a child's word for ‘father’ (see papa n.²; compare papas n.). Compare Old French, Middle French, French pape (c1050), Old Occitan, Occitan papa (a1160), Spanish papa (c1223), Portuguese papa (1214), Italian papa (late 12th cent.). An unattested post-classical Latin by-form *papes (with ending remodelled after other words of Greek origin; compare prophetes beside propheta prophet n.) gave rise to Old Frisian pāves, pāus, Middle Dutch pāwes, pāus (Dutch paus), Old Saxon pāvos (Middle Low German pāwes, pāwest), Old High German bābes (Middle High German bābes, bābest, German Papst), Old Icelandic páfi, Old Swedish pave (Swedish påve), Old Danish pauæ (Danish pave).The Greek and Latin words (meaning originally ‘Father’) were, like English father (and modern Romance equivalents), addressed or applied to spiritual fathers. In Hellenistic Greek and Byzantine Greek πάπας (also παπᾶς ) was applied to bishops, especially the bishops of Alexandria (from 3rd cent.) and Rome (from 4th cent.), as well as ordinary priests. Post-classical Latin papa , used as a term of respect for ecclesiastics of high position, especially bishops, occurs in the early 3rd cent. in Tertullian, and was applied as late as 640 by St Gall to Desiderius, bishop of Cahors. But from the early 4th cent. it was in the Western Church applied especially to, and from 1073 claimed exclusively by, the bishop of Rome. With sense 6 compare German Papst, in the same sense.

Etymology: < Old Russian pop″ (11th cent.; Russian pop ; compare Old Church Slavonic popŭ , Bulgarian pop , Polish pop , and similar forms in most Slavonic languages), ultimately < Byzantine Greek παπᾶς priest (see papas n.), although it is disputed whether the Greek word was borrowed into the Slavonic languages directly or via Old High German pfaffo (Middle High German phaffe , German Pfaffe ; < Gothic papa priest < Byzantine Greek παπᾶς ). Gothic papa , which was also borrowed into other Germanic languages (compare Old Frisian papa , Middle Dutch pāpe (Dutch paap ), Middle Low German pāpe , all since the Reformation denoting a Roman Catholic priest, now chiefly derogatory), appears to have been a colloquial word (compare the more literary gudja priest ( < the same Germanic base as god n.), the usual word in Wulfila's translation of the Bible); see further D. H. Green Lang. & Hist. Early Germanic World (1998) 309–10. Compare earlier papas n.

Etymology: Imitative of the booming sound made by the bird's wings during its diving display flight.

Etymology: < pope n.¹