vatican

n. the smallest independent country in the world, located inside the city of Rome.

n. the Vatican City State; a sovereign city-state enclave within Rome, Italy, serving as the temporal seat of the papacy.

“Thousands of tourists visit the Vatican every day to see the museums.”

“Although it is the smallest country in the world, the Vatican maintains its own postal service, pharmacy, and security force.”

n. the government and authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

n. the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church; the Holy See or the papacy used metonymically.

“The Vatican issued a statement about world peace this morning.”

“Diplomatic relations between the two nations improved significantly after the Vatican offered to mediate the long-standing border dispute.”

n. the group of buildings where the Pope lives and works.

n. the Apostolic Palace; the official residence of the Pope within Vatican City.

“The Pope appeared at the window of the Vatican to greet the crowd.”

“The architecture of the Vatican reflects centuries of artistic patronage, housing some of the most significant Renaissance frescoes in existence.”

Formal

adj. describing something that belongs to or comes from the Vatican.

adj. pertaining to the Vatican City State or the Holy See; non-gradable.

“He is an expert in Vatican history and art.”

“The library contains rare Vatican manuscripts that have been preserved for over a thousand years.”