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

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

Spanning 50 pages, this report represents a significant milestone for the commission, which has faced challenges in gaining traction within a Vatican often reluctant to confront the abuse crisis. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

Its linens are known to have been used on the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the dining car of the Orient Express, by European royal families and made bespoke for prestigious hotels like the Portrait Milano Hotel. —Sofia Celeste, WWD, 29 Oct. 2024

The cardinals stay at the Casa Santa Marta, a fairly simple dormitory on Vatican grounds. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 26 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