pontiff
noun /ˈpɒntɪf/
/ˈpɑːntɪf/
(formal)- the Pope (= the leader of the Roman Catholic Church)Topics Religion and festivalsc2Word Originlate 17th cent. (denoting an early Christian bishop): from French pontife, from Latin pontifex, from pons, pont- ‘bridge’ + -fex from facere ‘make’.