vatican
n. countablen. the small, independent city-state in Rome where the Pope lives and works. It is the center of the Roman Catholic Church.
n. the independent city-state enclaved within Rome that serves as the ecclesiastical and administrative headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Often functions as a metonym for the papacy or the central government of the Church.
Thousands of people gather at the Vatican to see the Pope.
The Vatican issued a formal statement regarding the new international treaty on climate change.
Scholars from around the world visit the Vatican Secret Archives to study centuries of historical documents and diplomatic correspondence.
Learned borrowing from Latin Vātī̆cānus (“Vatican Hill”), further etymology unknown. The connection to vāticinārī (“to prophesy, oracle”) is folk-etymological.
Usually preceded by the definite article 'the' when referring to the state or the institution.