patriarch

See also: Patriarch

English

Etymology

From Middle English patriark, patriarche, 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. By surface analysis, patri- +‎ -arch.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/, /ˈpætɹiɑːk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪt͡ʃɹiɑɹk/

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, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts ij:[29], folio clvj, recto:

     Men and brethren / lett me frely ſpeake vnto you of the patriarke David: For he is both deed and buryed / and his ſepulcre remayneth with vs vnto 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 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C. S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 68:

     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 till 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

Derived terms

• anti-patriarch

Translations

highest bishop

• Albanian: patriark (sq) m, patrik (sq) m
• Arabic: بَطْرِيَرْك m (baṭriyark), بَطْرَك m (baṭrak), بَطْرِيك m (baṭrīk)
• Armenian: պատրիարք (hy) (patriarkʻ)
• Azerbaijani: patriarx
• Belarusian: патрыя́рх m (patryjárx)
• Bulgarian: патриа́рх (bg) m (patriárh)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宗主教 (zōngzhǔjiào)

• Czech: patriarcha (cs) m
• Danish: patriark (da) c
• Dutch: patriarch (nl) m
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: patriarh
• Finnish: patriarkka (fi)
• French: patriarche (fr) m
• Georgian: პატრიარქი (ṗaṭriarki)
• German: Patriarch (de) m
• Greek: πατριάρχης (el) m (patriárchis)
• Hebrew: פַּטְרִיאַרְךְ (he) m (patriárkh)
• Hungarian: pátriárka (hu)
• Indonesian: patriark (id)
• Italian: patriarca (it) m
• Japanese: 総主教 (そうしゅきょう, sōshukyō) (Orthodox Church), 総大司教 (そうだいしきょう, sōdaishikyō) (Catholic Church)
• Kazakh: патриарх (patriarx)
• Korean: 총대주교(總大主敎) (chongdaejugyo)
• Kyrgyz: патриарх (ky) (patriarh)
• Latvian: patriarhs m
• Lithuanian: patriarchas m
• Macedonian: патрија́рх m (patrijárh)
• Malay: patriark
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: patriark m

  Nynorsk: patriark m

• Persian: پاطریارخ (pâtriyârx), پاتریارک (pâtriyârk)
• Polish: patriarcha (pl) m
• Portuguese: patriarca (pt) m
• Romanian: patriarh (ro) m
• Russian: патриа́рх (ru) m (patriárx)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: патрѝјарх m

  Roman: patrìjarh (sh) m

• Slovak: patriarcha m
• Slovene: patriarh (sl) m
• Spanish: patriarca (es) m
• Swedish: patriark (sv) c
• Thai: สังฆราช (th) (sǎng-ká-râat) (Buddhist)
• Turkish: patrik (tr)
• Ukrainian: патріа́рх m (patriárx)
• Uzbek: patriarx (uz)
• Vietnamese: thượng phụ (vi), mục thủ

male leader

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

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

• Belarusian: патрыя́рх m (patryjárx), патрыя́рх m (patryjárx), старэ́йшына m (staréjšyna)
• Bulgarian: баща́ (bg) m (baštá), патриа́рх (bg) m (patriárh)
• Catalan: patriarca (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 家長／家长 (zh) (jiāzhǎng), 家主 (zh) (jiāzhǔ)

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

  Ancient: πατριάρχης m (patriárkhēs)

• Hebrew: פַּטְרִיאַרְךְ (he) m (patriárkh)
• Icelandic: ættfaðir m
• Ido: patriarko (io)
• Indonesian: patriark (id), batrik
• Irish: patrarc m, uasalathair m, ardathair m
• Italian: patriarca (it) m
• Japanese: 家長 (ja) (かちょう, kachō)
• Kazakh: ақсақал (aqsaqal)
• Korean: 가장(家長) (ko) (gajang)
• Kyrgyz: аксакал (ky) (aksakal)
• Latin: patriarcha m
• Manx: ard-ayr m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: patriark m

  Nynorsk: patriark m

• Occitan: patriarca (oc) m, patriarcha m
• Old English: hēahfæder m
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: patriarcha (pl) m
• Portuguese: patriarca (pt) m
• Romagnol: please add this translation if you can
• 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)
• Ukrainian: патріа́рх m (patriárx), старі́йшина m (staríjšyna)
• Vietnamese: gia trưởng (vi)
• West Frisian: stamfaar c

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

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

1. patriarch

Related terms

• patriarchaal
• patriarchie
• patrimoniaal
• patrimonie