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Glite Dictionary
nunciature

nunciature

1 9.9
A place where the Pope's ambassador lives and works in a country
  • noun
  • /ˈnʌnʃəˌtʃʊr/
  • Formal
: nunciatura
  • After the conference, diplomats gathered at the nunciature to discuss the details of the agreement.
  • a papal nunciature

Examples

  • In 1920, he entered the service of the Secretariat of State, being sent as auditor of the French Nunciature between 1921 and 1927.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The Papal nunciature in Washington serves as the Vatican's official embassy in the United States.

  • The ambassador welcomed the guests to the nunciature for the formal reception.

Surface Forms

nunciature singular
nunciatures plural

Morphology

nunciature = nuncio (opaque) = nunci + ature

The suffix '-ature' does not transparently convey the specific institutional or residential meaning.

Etymology

Nunciature comes from the Latin nuntius, which means 'messenger', and it refers to the office or home of the pope's messenger or ambassador. You can see the same root in announce, which is about 'sending a message', so the origin helps explain why a nunciature is the Vatican's place for official messages and talks between countries.