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pon·ti·fex

(pŏntə-fĕks′)

n. pl. pon·tif·i·ces (pŏn-tĭfĭ-sēz′)

A man on the highest council of priests in ancient Rome.

[Latin; see pent- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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