From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Vatican
n 1: the residence of the Catholic Pope in the Vatican City
[syn: Vatican, Vatican Palace]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Vatican \Vat"i*can\, n. [L. Vaticanus, mons, or collis,
Vaticanus, the Vatican hill, in Rome, on the western bank of
the Tiber: cf. F. Vatican, It. Vaticano.]
A magnificent assemblage of buildings at Rome, near the
church of St. Peter, including the pope's palace, a museum, a
library, a famous chapel, etc.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The word is often used to indicate the papal authority.
[1913 Webster]
Thunders of the Vatican, the anathemas, or denunciations,
of the pope.
[1913 Webster]