hierarchy

[ hahy-uh-rahr-kee, hahy-rahr- ]

/ ˈhaɪ əˌrɑr ki, ˈhaɪ rɑr- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hierarchy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural hi·er·ar·chies.

any system of persons or things ranked one above another.

government by ecclesiastical rulers.

the power or dominion of a hierarch.

an organized body of ecclesiastical officials in successive ranks or orders: the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

one of the three divisions of the angels, each made up of three orders, conceived as constituting a graded body.

Also called celestial hierarchy. the collective body of angels.

government by an elite group.

Linguistics. the system of levels according to which a language is organized, as phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, or semantic.

Origin of hierarchy

1300–50; < Medieval Latin hierarchia < Late Greek hierarchía rule or power of the high priest, equivalent to hier- hier- + archía -archy; replacing Middle English jerarchie < Middle French ierarchie < Medieval Latin ierarchia, variant of hierarchia

OTHER WORDS FROM hierarchy

an·ti·hi·er·ar·chy, noun, plural an·ti·hi·er·ar·chies, adjective

Words nearby hierarchy

hieracosphinx, hierarch, hierarchical, hierarchism, hierarchize, hierarchy, hieratic, hiero-, hierocracy, hierodeacon, hierodule

Example sentences from the Web for hierarchy

Absolutely: “Courage I would rank now in the hierarchy of art and love.”

Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness |Ronald K. Fried |December 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was, I have to say, at the bottom of the hierarchy of royal honors, a British Empire Medal.

I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk |Clive Irving |November 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A strong sense of hierarchy took root as the schools expanded.

At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’ |ProPublica |October 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Powell ranks with Patrick Smith in the hierarchy of Florida historical novelists and that is lofty territory, indeed.

Book Bag: Overlooked Classic Books From the Sunshine State |Randy Wayne White |September 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

In the hierarchy of medical issues that carry stigma and fear, HPV has a unique place.

The Silent Shame of HPV |Emily Shire |August 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They have a schematic representation of the world, reduced to a hierarchy of general ideas, noted by symbols.

Essay on the Creative Imagination |Th. Ribot
The lamas—that is, the hierarchy—were losing their hold on the people.

Caravans By Night |Harry Hervey
And yet the hierarchy managed to maintain its assumptions and to overwhelm all remedial attempts.

Luther and the Reformation: |Joseph A. Seiss
Though she disliked the Roman hierarchy as an institution, she counted many friends among the priests of Rome.

Julia Ward Howe |Laura E. Richards
At once all the wrath of the hierarchy was unloosed upon him, and all its influence was thrown to the support of the Government.

The Canadian Dominion |Oscar D. Skelton

British Dictionary definitions for hierarchy

hierarchy

/ (ˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪ) /

noun plural -chies

a system of persons or things arranged in a graded order

a body of persons in holy orders organized into graded ranks

the collective body of those so organized

a series of ordered groupings within a system, such as the arrangement of plants and animals into classes, orders, families, etc

linguistics maths a formal structure, usually represented by a diagram of connected nodes, with a single uppermost element Compare ordering, heterarchy, tree (def. 6)

government by an organized priesthood

Derived forms of hierarchy

hierarchical or hierarchic, adjective hierarchically, adverb hierarchism, noun

Word Origin for hierarchy

C14: from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs high priest; see hiero-, -archy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hierarchy

noun, plural hi·er·ar·chies.

Origin of hierarchy

OTHER WORDS FROM hierarchy

Words nearby hierarchy

Example sentences from the Web for hierarchy

British Dictionary definitions for hierarchy

noun plural -chies

Derived forms of hierarchy

Word Origin for hierarchy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hierarchy

noun, plural hi·er·ar·chies.

Origin of hierarchy

OTHER WORDS FROM hierarchy

Words nearby hierarchy

Words related to hierarchy

Example sentences from the Web for hierarchy

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for hierarchy

noun plural -chies

Derived forms of hierarchy

Word Origin for hierarchy

British Dictionary definitions for hierarchy