papal bull
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpeɪpəl bʌl/
- Formal
:
bula papal
- In the Age of Discovery, papal bulls approved slavery.
And I also read the papal bulls from the Vatican.
- And I also read the papal bulls from the Vatican.
Examples
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The town was rescued from economic oblivion by a papal bull granting it a university charter in 1425.
Academic text (2003) -
But what makes the case of Watten unique is the fact that these powers are conferred through a papal bull.
Academic text (2018) -
And I also read the papal bulls from the Vatican.
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Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas in 1452.
Blog text (25) -
Despite the papal bull of 1154, the Normans did not invade Ireland until 1169.
Academic text (1995) -
On the other hand, one can also be inspired with hope by such events as the papal bull "Sublimis Deus" of 1537, which finally, although belatedly, condemned the conquistadors' treatment of the Amerindians.
Academic text (2007) -
The historian found important information in the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory IX.
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In 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued a papal bull known as Inter caetera, which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
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The university's charter was granted by a papal bull from the Pope, allowing it to become an official institution.
Synonyms
59
5.5
An official public announcement by a government or leader that tells people something important
27
7.2
An official order from a person or government in power that people must follow
2
9.9
An official order written by the pope and sealed with a lead seal
1
9.9
An official letter or order from the pope about church law
How Official
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an official papal proclamation' is directly and compositionally derived from 'papal' (relating to the pope) + 'bull' (a formal papal proclamation). While the sense of 'bull' as a papal document is specialized, if a learner already knows both constituent meanings the compound meaning is predictable and transparent.
Etymology
The noun papal bull comes from a small round lead seal called a bulla that was put on the pope's papers long ago. Because those important papers had the bulla, people started calling the whole document a papal bull, so today it means 'an official document' from the pope.