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Definition of Patriarch
1. Noun. Title for the heads of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (in Istanbul and Alexandria and Moscow and Jerusalem).
2. Noun. The male head of family or tribe.
Generic synonyms: Head Of Household, Adult Male, Man
Derivative terms: Patriarchal
3. Noun. Any of the early biblical characters regarded as fathers of the human race.
Generic synonyms: Father, Forefather, Sire
Specialized synonyms: Abraham, Ibrahim, Benjamin, Isaac, Ishmael, Issachar, Joseph, Judah, Methuselah, Noah, Reuben
4. Noun. A man who is older and higher in rank than yourself.
Definition of Patriarch
1. n. The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; -- usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses.
Definition of Patriarch
1. Noun. (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. (defdate from 9th c.) ¹
2. Noun. 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. (defdate from 13th c.) ¹
3. Noun. A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Patriarch
1. [n -S]
Medical Definition of Patriarch
1. 1. The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses. 2. A dignitary superior to the order of archbishops; as, the patriarch of Constantinople, of Alexandria, or of Antioch. 3. A venerable old man; an elder. Also used figuratively. "The patriarch hoary, the sage of his kith and the hamlet." (Longfellow) "The monarch oak, the partiarch of trees." (Dryde) Origin: F. Patriarche, L. Patriarcha, Gr, fr. Lineage, especially on the father's side, race; father + a leader, chief, fr. To lead, rule. See Father, Archaic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Patriarch
Literary usage of Patriarch
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the by Charles George Herbermann (1913)
"But in every case the essence of a patriarch's dignity is that he has no other
patriarch over him as patriarch. On the other hand, these Western minor ..."
2. The Manners & Customs of the Modern Egyptians by Edward William Lane (1908)
"The property at the disposal of the patriarch is very considerable : it chiefly
consists in houses ; and can only be employed for pious uses. ..."
3. A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in by John Pinkerton (1811)
"XVII, — Of the Death of the patriarch, and of the ... and the affairs that I
treated with the patriarch were terminated, I took my leave of him ..."
4. Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Standard Work of Reference in Art, Literature (1907)
"The head of the whole church was at one time the patriarch of Constantinople ;
but he never had the same supremacy as the pope, and has gradually sunk to be ..."
5. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1880)
"NESTORIUS, patriarch OF CONSTANTINOPLE. [CH. XLVII. iI 1; n • : L (•• I; : . }.
... From tbe patriarch, and aften preached against the to the apostles, ..."
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