patriarch

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the male head of a family, tribe, or social group

   As the family patriarch, he hosted four generations at the annual gathering.

2. 2
   noun

   a respected older man regarded as the founder or leading figure of a field or community

   The retired director was treated as the patriarch of regional theater.

3. 3
   noun

   a title for certain senior bishops, especially heads of Eastern Christian churches

   The patriarch presided over the church's synod.

4. 4
   noun

   one of the ancestral fathers of the Jewish people named in the Bible, especially Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob

   Abraham is honored as a patriarch in several religious traditions.

From Late Latin patriarcha, from Greek patriarkhes ("chief or father of a family"), combining patria ("lineage, family") with arkhes ("ruler"). The religious title and the broader family and founder senses all retain the idea of paternal authority.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
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