patriarch

See also: Patriarch

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Byzantine Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-árkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (patḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. Surface analysis patri- +‎ -arch.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪt(ʃ)ɹiɑɹk/

Noun

patriarch (plural patriarchs)

1. (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.]
2. 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.]
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts II:

     Men and brethren, lett me frely speake unto you of the patriarke David: For he is both deed and buryed, and his sepulcre remayneth with us unto this daye.

3. A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise. [from 16th c.]
4. An old leader of a village or community.
   • 1819, Washington Irving, The Sketch Book, “Rip Van Winkle”:

     The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by Nicholas Vedder, a patriarch of the village, and landlord of the inn, at the door of which he took his seat from morning to night, just moving sufficiently to […] keep in the shade of a large tree; […]

5. The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a clan or extended family.

   Synonyms: ancestor, forebear, forefather

6. The male head of a household or nuclear family.

   Synonyms: highfather, paterfamilias

Antonyms

• matriarch, materfamilias

Translations

male leader

• Arabic: شَيْخ‎ (ar) m (šayḵ), بَطْرِيَرْك‎ m (baṭriyark)
• Armenian: տանուտեր (hy) (tanuter), նախահայր (hy) (naxahayr)

  Old Armenian: տանուտէր (tanutēr), նախահայր (naxahayr)

• Bulgarian: баща́ (bg) m (baštá), патриа́рх m (patriárh)
• Catalan: patriarca (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宗主教 (zōngzhǔjiào)

• Coptic: ⲡⲁⲧⲣⲓⲁⲣⲭⲏⲥ m (patriarkhēs)
• Czech: (literary) praotec m
• Danish: patriark (da) c
• Dutch: patriarch (nl) ?, aartsvader (nl) m
• Esperanto: patriarko
• Faroese: ættfaðir m
• Finnish: patriarkka (fi)
• French: patriarche (fr) m
• Galician: patriarca m or f
• German: Patriarch (de) m, Erzvater m (biblical)
• Greek: πατριάρχης (el) m (patriárchis)

  Ancient: πατριάρχης m (patriárkhēs)

• Hebrew: פטריארך‎ (he) m (patriárkh)
• Ido: patriarko (io)
• Indonesian: patriark (id), batrik
• Irish: patrarc m, uasalathair m, ardathair m
• Italian: patriarca (it) m

• Japanese: (Orthodox Church) 総主教 (そうしゅきょう, sōshukyō), (Catholic Church) 総大司教 (そうだいしきょう, sōdaishikyō)
• Kazakh: ақсақал (aqsaqal)
• Korean: 총대주교 (chongdaejugyo)
• Kyrgyz: аксакал (ky) (aksakal)
• Latin: patriarcha m
• Manx: ard-ayr m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: patriark m

  Nynorsk: patriark m

• Old English: hēahfæder m
• Persian: پطریارخ‎ (patriyârx)
• Polish: patriarcha (pl) m
• Portuguese: patriarca (pt) m
• Russian: патриа́рх (ru) m (patriárx), (community leader, elder) старе́йшина (ru) m (staréjšina), аксака́л (ru) m (aksakál) (Central Asia)
• Scottish Gaelic: àrd-athair m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: патрѝјарх m

  Roman: patrìjarh (sh) m

• Spanish: patriarca (es) m
• Swedish: patriark (sv) c
• Tatar: аксакал (tt) (aqsaqal)
• West Frisian: stamfaar c

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

patriarch m (plural patriarchen, diminutive patriarchje n, feminine matriarch)

1. patriarch

Related terms

• patriarchaal
• patriarchie
• patrimoniaal
• patrimonie