• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “ultramontane” come from and What does ultramontane mean?

Where does the word “ultramontane” come from and What does ultramontane mean?

February 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

As the Church of Rome grew stronger, it acquired converts in many of the lands both near to and distant from Italy, including those in Europe to the north.

And, of course, to retain these converts, it was necessary to appoint representatives in these countries who would represent the Church to the natives.

Now, the north of Italy is bounded by mountains (the Alps), and it became the practice to refer to one of these representatives as ultramontanus, “one who is beyond the mountains,” which is made up of the Latin ultra, “beyond,” plus mont-, the combining form of mons, “mountain,” together with a masculine personal suffix.

The word (with suitable variations appropriate to the language) was taken into French as early as the fourteenth century, and also into Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Dutch.

It entered English in the late sixteenth century, since which time there have been a number of minor variations in meaning.

That now most commonly in use is “one who supports papal policy.”

Related Facts

  • What does the word "gauntlet" mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
  • What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word "incubus" come from?
  • Where does the word "Toilet" come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
  • What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Clock" Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
  • Where Did the Word "Limbo" Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “pernickety” come from and What does pernickety mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “fanfare” come from and What does fanfare mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy