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

Director Edward Berger says the backroom power politicking in Conclave, his Vatican conspiracy thriller, has an echo in U.S. president Joe Biden recently being replaced as the Democratic Party nominee by Vice President Kamala Harris. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024

First-time visitors will want to check the Colosseum and Vatican off their lists, but there are countless things to do in Rome, from picnicking in the shadow of ancient aqueducts to peeking inside aristocratic palaces, not to mention tasting local specialties like carbonara and cacio e pepe. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2024

Its plot is simple: In Vatican City, the pope is dead and Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked with overseeing the election of a new one. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024

According to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, some of the trip’s other themes include social and technological development, as we well as the environment and the need to combat climate change. —Ines De La Cuetara, ABC News, 3 Sep. 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