tussenpaus

Dutch (Brabantic)

noun
Definitions
  • (literally) An 'intermediary' pope, whose pontificate (term of office) is so short or uneventful he's rarely mentioned except in lists of popes
  • (figuratively) An incumbent whose main function is not to exerce the office but to 'keep the seat warm' or prepare the way for a far more notable successor, but fully titled, without being formally styled 'ad interim'

Etymology

Compound from Dutch, Flemish tussen (between, in between, in-between) + Dutch, Flemish paus (pope).

Origin

Dutch (Brabantic)

paus

Gloss

pope

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms