Vatican

noun

Vat·​i·​can ˈva-ti-kən 

1

: the papal headquarters in Rome

2

: the papal government

Vatican adjective

Examples of Vatican in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The film stars Ralph Fiennes as Thomas Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals in present-day Vatican City. —Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Nov. 2024

Following the gathering, Blinken travels to Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 24 Nov. 2024

Pope Francis announced yesterday that Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, will be canonized during the Jubilee for Adolescents in April, according to Vatican News. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024

Read: What The Young Pope preached about love Conclave is by no means the first project to use Vatican City as a paradoxical backdrop. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin (mons) Vāticānus, hill on the west bank of the Tiber, the traditional site of the apostle Peter's tomb, on which a basilica was built in the 4th century

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Vatican

• the Vatican