Patriarch

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/

Definitions

1. The male head of a family or tribe who holds authority and is often regarded with respect by descendants
2. A male founder or senior member who exercises dominant authority over a family, organization, or religious community
3. An elderly man who serves as the revered leader and decision-maker within a family, tribe, or hierarchical social structure

Etymology: Ancient Greek speakers used "patriarkhēs" for the founder of a clan, a man whose line of descendants defined a whole family group. The word is built from "patria," meaning lineage or tribe, and "-arkhēs," meaning ruler or leader, the same ending found in "monarch" and "hierarch." Put together, it describes a leader of a people by descent rather than by office. Early English took the word from Late Latin "patriarcha," and it came into Middle English as a term for the Hebrew forefathers of the Bible, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, along with the other heads of the early generations. Old French later reinforced the spelling, which is why the English form looks so close to the French one. Over time the sense widened from biblical founders to any venerable head of a household or community. Some senses were probably also shaped by Latin "pater," "father," which helps explain why the word feels so closely tied to fatherhood. Its counterpart "matriarch" follows the same pattern.

Synonyms: father, leader, founder

Antonyms: matriarch