See Also: patriarch(medicine)
patriarch(dictionary)
patriarch(encyclopedia)
patriarch(dictionary)

patriarch (iou)



patriarch noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French patriarche from ecclesiastical Latin patriarcha from Greek patriarkhes, from patria family, clan + -arkhes -ARCH.]
The male head or ruler of a family or tribe; spec. in biblical use, (a) each of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom the tribes of Israel were descended (usu. in pl.); (b) in pl., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their forefathers. ME.
(Patriarch.) Ecclesiastical. An honorific or official title given to a bishop of high rank, esp. (a) a bishop of one of the ancient sees of Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, and Jerusalem; (b) a head of any of various autocephalous or Uniate Eastern Churches; (c) Roman Catholic Church a bishop next above primates and metropolitans and immediately below the Pope in rank. ME.
b. transf. Any high dignitary of a Church which does not have the patriarchate or of a religion other than Christianity. Now rare. L15.
(A person regarded as) the father or founder of an institution, tradition, science, school of thought, etc. M16.
A man who or thing which is the oldest or most venerable of a group, esp. the oldest man in a village or neighbourhood; a veteran, a grand old man. E18.
New Yorker Lew Wasserman,..at seventy-seven, Hollywood's reigning patriarch, rose to toast his companions.
patriarchess noun (rare) the wife of a patriarch; a female patriarch; the oldest woman in a community: M17.
patriarchism noun the patriarchal system of social or ecclesiastical organization, government, etc. M17.
Patriarchist noun (Hist.) a supporter of the Patriarch of Constantinople against the Exarch of Bulgaria during the schism of 1872-1945 E20.
patriarchship noun (rare) the (ecclesiastical) position or office of a patriarch; a patriarchate: M16-E18.