noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌsiːzəɹəʊˈpeɪpɪzm̩/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˌsiːzəɹoʊˈpeɪpɪz(ə)m/
1
noun
Meaning 1
The combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: government, lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the doctrine that the state is supreme over the church in ecclesiastical matters
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Erastianism, Byzantinism
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: theological doctrine
History
Etymology
From caesar + -o- + papism, probably modelled after New Latin caesaro-papia, coined by the German ecclesiastical jurist Justus Henning Böhmer (1674–1749) in his work Jus ecclesiasticum Protestantium (Ecclesiastical Law of the Protestants, 1714–1736).
Across languages
Translations
44 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Asturian:
cesaropapismu
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Belarusian:
цэзарапапізм
(cezarapapizm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Breton:
kezarpabouriezh
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Bulgarian:
цезаропапизъм
(cezaropapizǎm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Catalan:
cesaropapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Cebuano:
sesaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Chinese Mandarin:
政教合一
(zhèngjiào héyī)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Czech:
caesaropapismus
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Danish:
Cæsareopapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Danish:
Cæsaropapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Dutch:
cesaropapie
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Esperanto:
cezaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
French:
césaropapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
German:
Cäsaropapismus
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Greek:
Καισαροπαπισμός
(Kaisaropapismós)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Hebrew:
קיסרופאפיזם
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Hungarian:
cezaropapizmus
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Indonesian:
kaesaropapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Interlingua:
Cesaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Italian:
cesaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Japanese:
カエサロパピスム
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Japanese:
皇帝教皇主義
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Korean:
황제교황주의
(hwangjegyohwangjuui)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Macedonian:
цезаропапизмот
(cezaropapizmot)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Macedonian:
царопапизам
(caropapizam)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Macedonian:
кајзеропапизам
(kajzeropapizam)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Norwegian Bokmål:
cæsaropapisme
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Polish:
cezaropapizm
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Portuguese:
cesaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Romanian:
cezaropapism
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Russian:
цезаропапи́зм
(cezaropapízm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Russian:
цезарепапи́зм
(cezarepapízm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Serbo-Croatian:
цезаропапѝзам
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Serbo-Croatian:
cezaropapìzam
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Slovak:
cézaropapizmus
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Slovak:
štátne cirkevníctvo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Slovene:
cezaropapizem
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Spanish:
cesaropapismo
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Swedish:
caesareopapism
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Thai:
จักรพรรดิสันตะปาปานิยม
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Turkish:
sezaropapizm
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Ukrainian:
цезаропапізм
(cezaropapizm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Ukrainian:
цезарепапізм
(cezarepapizm)
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters
Welsh:
Cesar-Babaeth
— combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters