PATRIARCH Definition & Meaning

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patriarch

[ pey-tree-ahrk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the male head of a family or tribal line.
a person regarded as the father or founder of an order, class, etc.
any of the very early Biblical personages regarded as the fathers of the human race, comprising those from Adam to Noah antediluvian patriarchs and those between the Deluge and the birth of Abraham.
any of the three great progenitors of the Israelites: Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob.
any of the sons of Jacob (the twelve patriarchs), from whom the tribes of Israel were descended.
(in the early Christian church) any of the bishops of any of the ancient sees of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem, or Rome having authority over other bishops.
Greek Orthodox Church. the head of any of the ancient sees of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, or Jerusalem, and sometimes including other sees of chief cities. Compare ecumenical patriarch.
the head of certain other churches in the East, as the Coptic, Nestorian, and Armenian churches, that are not in full communication with the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.
Roman Catholic Church.
1. the pope as patriarch of the West.
2. any of certain bishops of the Eastern rites, as a head of an Eastern rite or a bishop of one of the ancient sees.
3. the head of a Uniate church.
Mormon Church. any of the high dignitaries who pronounce the blessing of the church; Evangelist.
one of the elders or leading older members of a community.
a venerable old man.

patriarch

/ ˈ��ɪ�ٰ�ɪˌɑː�� /

noun

the male head of a tribe or family Compare matriarch
a very old or venerable man
Old Testament any of a number of persons regarded as the fathers of the human race, divided into the antediluvian patriarchs, from Adam to Noah, and the postdiluvian, from Noah to Abraham
Old Testament any of the three ancestors of the Hebrew people: Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob
Old Testament any of Jacob's twelve sons, regarded as the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel
Early Church the bishop of one of several principal sees, esp those of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria
Eastern Orthodox Church the bishops of the four ancient principal sees of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, and also of Russia, Romania, and Serbia, the bishop of Constantinople (the ecumenical Patriarch ) being highest in dignity among these
RC Church
1. a title given to the pope
2. a title given to a number of bishops, esp of the Uniat Churches, indicating their rank as immediately below that of the pope
Mormon Church another word for Evangelist
Eastern Christianity the head of the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian Jacobite, or Nestorian Churches, and of certain other non-Orthodox Churches in the East
the oldest or most venerable member of a group, community, etc
the patriarch of steam engines
a person regarded as the founder of a community, tradition, etc

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Derived Forms

ˌ�貹�ٰ��ˈ��󲹱��, adverb
ˌ�貹�ٰ��ˈ��󲹱�, adjective

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Other �y��vlog Forms

�貹t��·��c�󲹱� �貹t��·��c�󾱳� �貹t��·��c��·�� adjective
�貹t��·��d�ǳ� �貹t��·��·��󾱱� noun
��t��·�貹t��·�� noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of patriarch¹

1175–1225; Middle English patriark(e) (< Old French ) < Late Latin patriarcha < Late Greek �貹�ٰ��á��ŧ�� high-ranking bishop, Greek: family head equivalent to �貹�ٰ��(á) family, derivative of �貹��ḗr father + -��ŧ�� -arch

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of patriarch¹

C12: via Old French from Church Latin patriarcha

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The whole “Big Daddy” concept — deeply rooted in Southern culture — is essentially about longing for a dominant patriarch, a figure of unquestioned authority who brings order, control and tradition.

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Besides, one gets the sense that if our suicidal patriarch were to follow through on his exit strategy, he would keep the body count within the family.

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"To be a good patriarch is hard and every day is a lesson," says Dyer.

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But she started by focusing on the matriarch and the patriarch.

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You play Cortland Mayfair, who isn’t just the patriarch but one of the most fun characters on the show.

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