<p><strong>Adjective</strong></p><ul><li>relating to or proceeding from a pope or from the office of the pope; papal: This document gathers together and sums up all the pontifical teachings on Saint Thomas Aquinas.</li><li>(of an academic institution) established or certified by the office of the pope and covering disciplines directly related to Christian belief, such as theology, philosophy, and canon law: The outspoken Dominican nun teaches theology at a pontifical university in Rome.</li><li>relating to, characteristic of, or conducted by a high-ranking prelate, especially a bishop.</li><li>pompous, dogmatic, or pretentious: His coworkers resented his lofty and pontifical manner, which they found arrogant.</li></ul><p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>(in the Western Church) a book containing the forms for the sacraments and other rites and ceremonies to be performed by bishops: She has recently published her thesis about an illuminated Pontifical made in 1350 for the archbishop of Narbonne.</li><li>pontificals: the vestments and other insignia of a high-ranking prelate, especially a bishop.</li></ul>