a person regarded as the father or founder of an order, class, etc.
any of the very early Biblical personages regarded as the fathers of the human race, comprising those from Adam to Noah (antediluvian patriarchs ) and those between the Deluge and the birth of Abraham.
any of the three great progenitors of the Israelites: Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob.
any of the sons of Jacob (the twelve patriarchs ), from whom the tribes of Israel were descended.
(in the early Christian church) any of the bishops of any of the ancient sees of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem, or Rome having authority over other bishops.
Greek Orthodox Church. the head of any of the ancient sees of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, or Jerusalem, and sometimes including other sees of chief cities.Compare ecumenical patriarch.
the head of certain other churches in the East, as the Coptic, Nestorian, and Armenian churches, that are not in full communication with the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.
Roman Catholic Church.
the pope as patriarch of the West.
any of certain bishops of the Eastern rites, as a head of an Eastern rite or a bishop of one of the ancient sees.
the head of a Uniate church.
Mormon Church. any of the high dignitaries who pronounce the blessing of the church; Evangelist.
one of the elders or leading older members of a community.
a venerable old man.
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 patḗrfather + -archēs-arch
Marston declared that women should rule the world but remained a patriarch.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The patriarch, Josiah, had fought with the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry, marching all the way to Kentucky to battle the Confederates.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Moscow, Patriarch Kirill addressed an audience that included Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Blood, Faith and Fatalism in Divided Ukraine|Anna Nemtsova|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church even opined that same-sex marriage is a sign of the apocalypse.
Putin’s Post-Sochi LGBT Crackdown|Jay Michaelson|February 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To turn the title of a classic Gabriel García Márquez on its head, this will be “The Spring of the Patriarch.”
Egypt’s Arab Spring Gives Way To Spring Of The Patriarch|Christopher Dickey|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The largest of these was evidently a patriarch, for although he was in rather poor condition he weighed 136 lbs.
By Rock and Pool on an Austral Shore, and Other Stories|Louis Becke
Under the ministering care of Beatrice and the patriarch, Stern's convalescence was rapid.
Darkness and Dawn|George Allan England
In what condition was the patriarch Job at the end of his life?
Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories|Robert Ford
Truly he was a patriarch like unto Abraham, and a father to his people.
For Faith and Freedom|Walter Besant
Solemn mass was then celebrated by the patriarch, and the council inaugurated.
The Catholic World, Vol. X, October 1869|Various
British Dictionary definitions for patriarch
patriarch
/ (ˈpeɪtrɪˌɑːk) /
noun
the male head of a tribe or familyCompare matriarch (def. 2)
a very old or venerable man
Old Testamentany of a number of persons regarded as the fathers of the human race, divided into the antediluvian patriarchs, from Adam to Noah, and the postdiluvian, from Noah to Abraham
Old Testamentany of the three ancestors of the Hebrew people: Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob
Old Testamentany of Jacob's twelve sons, regarded as the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel
Early Churchthe bishop of one of several principal sees, esp those of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria
Eastern Orthodox Churchthe bishops of the four ancient principal sees of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, and also of Russia, Romania, and Serbia, the bishop of Constantinople (the ecumenical Patriarch) being highest in dignity among these
RC Church
a title given to the pope
a title given to a number of bishops, esp of the Uniat Churches, indicating their rank as immediately below that of the pope
Mormon Church another word for Evangelist (def. 2)
Eastern Christianitythe head of the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian Jacobite, or Nestorian Churches, and of certain other non-Orthodox Churches in the East
the oldest or most venerable member of a group, community, etcthe patriarch of steam engines
a person regarded as the founder of a community, tradition, etc