patrician

See also: Patrician

English

Alternative forms

• patritian (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French patricien, from Latin patricius, derived from patrēs cōnscrīptī (“Roman senators”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pətɹˈɪʃən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃən

Noun

patrician (plural patricians)

1. (Ancient Rome) A member of any of the families constituting the populus Romanus, or body of Roman citizens, before the development of the plebeian order; later, one who, by right of birth or by special privilege conferred, belonged to the senior class of Romans, who, with certain property, had by right a seat in the Roman Senate.
   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 31, column 1:

     Noble Patricians, Patrons of my right, / Defend the iuſtice of my Cauſe with Armes.

2. A person of high birth; a nobleman.
3. One familiar with the works of the Christian Fathers; one versed in patristic lore or life.

Derived terms

• patrician blue

Translations

member of Roman aristocracy

• Catalan: patrici (ca) m
• Czech: patricij m
• Danish: patricier c
• Dutch: patriciër (nl) m
• French: patricien (fr) m, patrice (fr)
• German: Patrizier (de)
• Greek: πατρίκιος (el) m (patríkios)
• Hungarian: patrícius (hu)
• Irish: paitríoch m
• Italian: patrizio (it) m
• Polish: patrycjusz (pl) m, patrycjuszka f
• Portuguese: patrício (pt) m
• Russian: патри́ций (ru) m (patrícij)
• Spanish: patricio (es) m
• Swedish: patricier (sv) c
• Ukrainian: патри́цій m (patrýcij)

nobleman

• Danish: patricier c
• Dutch: patriciër (nl) m
• German: Patrizier (de)
• Greek: πατρίκιος (el) m (patríkios)
• Hungarian: patrícius (hu)
• Irish: paitríoch m
• Portuguese: patrício (pt) m, nobre (pt) m
• Welsh: pendefig (cy) m

Adjective

patrician (comparative more patrician, superlative most patrician)

1. Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (“fathers”) or senators, or patricians.
2. Of, or pertaining to a person of high birth; noble; not plebeian; aristocratic.
   • 1829 May 2, [Walter Scott], Anne of Geierstein; or, The Maiden of the Mist. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] [Ballantyne and Company] for Cadell and Co., […]; London: Simpkin and Marshall, […], →OCLC:

     born in the patrician file of society

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:

     his horse's hoofs wet with patrician blood

3. Characteristic of or appropriate to a person of high birth; classy.
   • 2021 February 9, Christina Newland, “Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Hanks' taste in projects and directors is undoubtedly patrician and with a few exceptions like 1993's Philadelphia, the first mainstream film about the Aids crisis, rarely provocative

Related terms

• matrician

Further reading

• Patrician on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French patricien.

Noun

patrician m (plural patricieni)

1. (historical) patrician

Declension

Declension of patrician

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) patrician	patricianul	(niște) patricieni	patricienii
genitive/dative	(unui) patrician	patricianului	(unor) patricieni	patricienilor
vocative	patricianule		patricienilor