Vatican

Learned borrowing from Latin Vātī̆cānus (“Vatican Hill”), further etymology unknown. The connection to vāticinārī (“to prophesy, oracle”) is folk-etymological.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈvæ.tɪ.kən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

the Vatican

1. The official residence of the Pope within Vatican City, the Vatican or Apostolic Palace.
2. (metonymic) The papal government; the papacy, the Holy See.
3. A city-state in Southern Europe, an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy.

   Synonym: Vatican City

   • 2019 October 3, Ellen Curtin, “Everything You Wanted to Know about Vatican City”, in City Wonders‎^[1], archived from the original on 13 June 2025:

     Unlike most other countries in the world, citizenship in Vatican City isn’t solely provided to people that are born in the country. As there are no hospitals in the Vatican State, virtually no one is born in there. Instead, Vatican citizenship is provided on a ‘jus officii’ basis.

4. The Vatican Hill in Rome, where the palace and Vatican City are located.
   • 1856, The Art of Building in Ancient and Modern Times […], volume 1, page 75:

     He [Caligula] began to build a circus upon the Vatican.

• → Japanese: バチカン (Bachikan)

Vatican (not comparable)

1. Relating to the Vatican City state.
   • 2019 October 3, Ellen Curtin, “Everything You Wanted to Know about Vatican City”, in City Wonders‎^[2], archived from the original on 13 June 2025:

     Unlike most other countries in the world, citizenship in Vatican City isn’t solely provided to people that are born in the country. As there are no hospitals in the Vatican State, virtually no one is born in there. Instead, Vatican citizenship is provided on a ‘jus officii’ basis.

• “Vatican”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Vacanti

• IPA^(key): /va.tiˈkan/

• Audio:

  (file)

Vatican m

1. Vatican City (a city-state in Southern Europe, an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy)
2. the Vatican