patriarch
UK /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/ · US /ˈpeɪtɹiɑɹk/ noun
Forms patriarchs
- noun (Christianity) The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.
- noun (biblical) A male leader of a family, tribe or ethnic group, especially one of the twelve sons of Jacob (considered to have created the twelve tribes of Israel) or (in plural) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- noun A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
- noun An old leader of a village or community.
- noun The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a clan or extended family.
- noun The male head of a household or nuclear family.
- noun A shade of purple
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-ắrkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (pătḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. By surface analysis, patri- + -arch.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; --usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses.
- noun A dignitary superior to the order of archbishops; as, the patriarch of Constantinople, of Alexandria, or of Antioch.
Etymology [F. patriarche, L. patriarcha, Gr. Father, Archaic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “patriarch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details