patriarch

[ pey-tree-ahrk ]
/ ˈpeɪ triˌɑrk /

noun

Origin of patriarch

1175–1225; Middle English patriark(e) (< Old French) < Late Latin patriarcha < Late Greek patriárchēs high-ranking bishop, Greek: family head equivalent to patri(á) family, derivative of patḗr father + -archēs -arch

OTHER WORDS FROM patriarch

pa·tri·ar·chal, pa·tri·ar·chic, pa·tri·ar·chi·cal, adjective pa·tri·arch·dom, pa·tri·arch·ship, noun an·ti·pa·tri·arch, noun

Example sentences from the Web for patriarch

British Dictionary definitions for patriarch

patriarch
/ (ˈpeɪtrɪˌɑːk) /

noun

Derived forms of patriarch

patriarchal, adjective patriarchally, adverb

Word Origin for patriarch

C12: via Old French from Church Latin patriarcha