adj.
Pronunciation: pän- ' ti-fi-k ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin pontificale, from neuter of pontificalis
Date: 14th century
1 : episcopal attire specifically : the insignia of the episcopal order worn by a prelate when celebrating a pontifical mass ― usually used in plural
2 : a book containing the forms for sacraments and rites performed by a bishop