Pontifex maximus
[ˈpɔntifɛks ˈmaksimʊs]
The verdict
“Pontifex maximus” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - oberster Priester im antiken Rom
Corpus desk
Index DE-pontifex-maximus · Pontifex maximus · German
Pontifex maximus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 16 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Pontifex maximus |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [ˈpɔntifɛks ˈmaksimʊs] |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Langschwanz-Rang von „Pontifex maximus“ im Deutschen
Rare enough to double-check
Pontifex maximus is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˈpɔntifɛks ˈmaksimʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for Pontifex maximus in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Pontifex maximus, spelled P-O-N-T-I-F-E-X- -M-A-X-I-M-U-S.
Definition
- 1oberster Priester im antiken Rom
- 2Titel des römischen Kaisers
- 3umgangssprachlich für Summus Pontifex (Ecclesiae Universalis) „Oberster Priester (der Weltkirche)“
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how Pontifex maximus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
„Der Pontifex maximus hatte als Vorsteher des Priesterkollegiums der pontifices in erster Linie ein Aufsichtsamt.“
„Die Flamines und die Vestalinnen wurden vom Pontifex maximus berufen (capere ‚nehmen‘), alle anderen Priester wurden gewählt.“
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.