Patriarch definitions

pā'trē-ärk'
A man who rules a family, clan, or tribe.
noun
98
3
Used formerly as a title for the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria.
noun
93
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A bishop who holds the highest episcopal rank after the pope.
noun
90
1
Any one of the bishops of the sees of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Moscow, and Jerusalem who has authority over other bishops.
noun
87
2
The head of the Sanhedrin in Syrian Palestine from about 180 bc to ad 429.
noun
85
2
A high dignitary of the priesthood empowered to invoke blessings.
noun
81
2
One who is regarded as the founder or original head of an enterprise, organization, or tradition.
noun
79
1
A very old, venerable man; an elder.
noun
77
1
The oldest member of a group.

The patriarch of the herd.

noun
72
1
The father and ruler of a family or tribe, as one of the founders of the ancient Hebrew families: in the Bible, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's twelve sons were patriarchs.
noun
39
0
A person regarded as the founder or father of a colony, religion, business, etc.
noun
36
1
A man of great age and dignity.
noun
31
1
The oldest individual of a class or group.
noun
28
1
The definition of a patriarch is the father and male ruler, or a man regarded as the founder.

An example of a patriarch is Abraham, Issac, Jacob or one of Jacob's twelve sons in the Bible.

noun
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0
(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. [from 9th c.]
noun
2
0
An old leader of a village or community.
noun
1
0
In Biblical contexts, 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. [from 13th c.]
noun
0
0
A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise. [from 16th c.]
noun
0
0
The male head of a tribal line or family.
noun
0
0

Origin of patriarch

Old English patriarcha, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Byzantine Greek πατριάρχης (“the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patria, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -αρχης (-arkhēs, “-arch”).