Vatican
/ˈvatɪk(ə)n
/noun (usually the Vatican)
1The palace and official residence of the Pope in Rome.
1.1 [treated as singular or plural] The administrative centre of the Roman Catholic Church.The money raised went straight to the church and to the Vatican....
- Barcelona's archbishop - who sees Gaudi as belonging to the tradition of religious mystics - put their case to the Vatican, which in 1999 agreed in record-breaking time to start the process.
- Many high-ranking officials in the Guatemalan government were members of religious orders that staunchly uphold the position of the Vatican.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from French, or from Latin Vaticanus, the name of a hill in Rome.