patriarch

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: matriarch, patriarca, patriarchy, triarch, petrarch, patriarchs

Antonyms: matriarch, patriarca, patriarchy, triarch, petrarch, patriarchs

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. {{senseid|en|Q171692}} {{lb|en|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|Pope]] in rank. {{defdate|from 9th c.}}
2. {{lb|en|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. {{defdate|from 13th c.}}
3. A [[founder]] of a political or [[religious]] movement, an organization or an [[enterprise]]. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
4. An old leader of a village or community.
5. The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a [[clan]] or [[extended family]].
6. The male head of a [[household]] or [[nuclear family]].
7. A shade of purple

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.