 The word appears to consist of the Latin word for "bridge" and the suffix for "maker".However, there is a possibility that this definition is a folk etymology for an Etruscan term, since Roman religion was heavily influenced by Etruscan religion, and very little is known about the Etruscan language, which is not Indo-European.According to the common interpretation, the term "pontifex" means "bridge-builder" ("pons" + "facere"); "maximus" means "greatest".