Pontifex maximus pointed out that the term existed before there were any bridges in Rome and derived the word from Old Latin "pontis" (sic) meaning a powerful or absolute master, while others derived it from "potis facere" in the sense of "able to sacrifice". The last derivation is mentioned also by Varro, who rejected it, but it was the view of Pontifex Maximus Quintus Scaevola. Others have held that the word was originally "pompifex" (leader of public processions). The word "pons" originally meant "way" and "pontifex" would thus mean "maker of roads and bridges". Another opinion is that the word is a
Latin word order Latin word order The word order of classical Latin is relatively free. Subject, Object, and Verb can come in any order; adjectives and possessives can go before or after their noun, and so on. A commonly found feature of Latin is hyperbaton, in which a phrase is split up by other words, e.g. "Sextus est Tarquinius" "it is Sextus Tarquinius". A complicating factor in Latin word order is that there are variations between the style of different authors, and also between different genres of writing; in Caesar's historical writing the verb is much more likely to come at the end