Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • An independent papal state on the Tiber River within Rome, Italy. Created by the Lateran Treaty signed by Pope Pius XI and Victor Emmanuel III of Italy in 1929, it issues its own currency and postage stamps and has its own newspaper and broadcasting facilities. The government is run by a council of cardinals who are responsible to the pope.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A country in Europe, located in Rome, Italy. Official name: State of the Vatican City; The Holy See.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the capital of the State of the Vatican City

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Italian Città del Vaticano ("Vatican City") from Latin Civitas Vaticana ("Vatican City"), referring to the Vatican hill, ultimately from Latin vaticinari ("to prophesy").

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