tussenpaus
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Dutch
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]tussen (“in between”) + paus (“pope”)
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: tus‧sen‧paus
Noun
[edit]tussenpaus m (plural tussenpausen, diminutive tussenpausje n)
- (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'
Related terms
[edit]See also
[edit]- interrex m