Urban V

1 9.9

A French pope from 1362 to 1370 who moved the pope's court to Rome and later returned to Avignon

proper noun

: Urbano V

Urban V moved the papal court briefly back to Rome in an effort to restore its prestige.

Examples

Many churches commemorate Urban V as a saint due to his canonization in 1870.
During the pontificate of Urban V, efforts were made to reconcile France and England.
Urban V was a French pope.
Pope Urban V was a significant figure in the history of the papacy.
Urban V moved the papal court briefly back to Rome in an effort to restore its prestige.
During the pontificate of Urban V, efforts were made to reconcile France and England.
Many churches commemorate Urban V as a saint due to his canonization in 1870.

Synonyms

Pope Urban V

vsUrban V

1 9.1

A French pope from 1362 to 1370 who tried to move the church back to Rome

is identical in meaning but uses the formal title form

Guillaume de Grimoard

vsUrban V

9.9

A French pope called Urban V who tried to return the papacy to Rome and was later made a saint

refers to the same figure under the official papal title

Surface Forms

Urban V main

Morphology

Urban + V

The form is a regnal name: knowing 'V' = five might allow a learner to infer 'the fifth Urban', but the constituents do not indicate the referent's role or biographical meaning (that he was a 14th-century French pope). As a proper name, the identity and historical information are not derivable from the parts, so a B1 learner would not understand the MWE's full meaning from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Urban V comes from Urban, an old Latin word meaning 'of the city', and the V shows he was the 'fifth' pope with that name. He tried to move the pope's court back to Rome, so the name helps you remember him as the fifth 'city' pope who wanted the court in Rome.