Papist

Papist is a pejorative and offensive name for Roman Catholics, who take offense at being labelled by their allegiance to the Pope. The word derives from Latin papa, meaning "Pope".

While considered offensive in contemporary speech, it was a word in ordinary use until the mid-nineteenth century; it occurs frequently in Macaulay's History of England from the Accession of James II, and in other historical or controversial works from that period. It is also a legal term that defines ineligibility for the throne under the current law of the United Kingdom. Under the Act of Settlement enacted in 1701, no "Papist", nor anyone who marries a "Papist," may succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom.

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