English

Pope Benedict XVI tours São Paulo in the Popemobile.

Noun

Popemobile ‎(plural Popemobiles)

1. (informal) Any of various vehicles with bulletproof glass sides used to transport the Pope through crowds safely while allowing an open view.

Usage notes

• Pope John Paul II requested in 2002 that people avoid referring to the vehicle by that name because it sounded “undignified.”

Translations

English

Noun

popemobile ‎(plural popemobiles)

1. Alternative form of Popemobile
   • 2008 April 18, Ralph Blumenthal, “Glimpses of the Pope Fill Pilgrims With Emotion”, in New York Times:

     Even before the pontiff’s arrival in the United States on Tuesday, the Pequeños had gathered outside the Vatican Embassy, singing and dancing with other followers of their exuberant early Christianity movement, the Neocatechumenal Way. They waited for hours on Wednesday in a crush of admirers along Pennsylvania Avenue to catch a glimpse of his passing popemobile.