patriarch
Clan's male leader
A patriarch is the male head of a family, clan, or tribe—the senior figure whose authority extends over generations.
In religious contexts, the term designates high-ranking leaders: the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or bishops heading major Orthodox Christian churches.
More loosely, a patriarch is any venerable old man who seems to embody traditional authority: He was the patriarch of American jazz.
The word often carries connotations of benevolent but old-fashioned rule.
First Hebrew patriarch
- IsaacHebrew patriarch name
- JacobMale given name
- MosesHebrew prophet, liberator
- NoahBiblical vessel builder
Joseph · David · Solomon · covenant · Torah · Genesis · Exodus · Israelite
Father's or mother's father
- elderSenior figure of authority
- headUppermost body part
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
lineage · clan · dynasty · bloodline · ancestry · genealogy · household · kinfolk
Senior figure of authority
- sageWisdom keeper or seasoning
- greybeardElderly man, wise veteran
- seniorHigher in rank
- grandfatherFather's or mother's father
respected · revered · wise · aged · ancient · venerable · doyen · dignified
Uppermost body part
- rulerOne who governs
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- leaderOne who guides others
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
control · command · governance · supremacy · power · hierarchy · overlord · chieftain
Catholic Church's supreme leader
- pontiffSupreme Catholic leader
- metropolitanOf a major city
- archbishopSenior prelate over province
- bishopDiocesan clergy head
prelate · primate · see · patriarchate · diocese · synod · mitre · crosier
Controlled primarily by men
- traditionalismAdherence to inherited customs
- conservatismPreference for existing institutions
- hegemonyDominant group's control
- chauvinismMilitant devotion to group
subordination · inequality · hierarchy · sexism · dominance · masculinity · oppression · feminism
Abraham
First Hebrew patriarch
Noah · Joseph · David · Solomon · covenant · Torah · Genesis · Exodus · Israelite · antediluvian
grandfather
Father's or mother's father
- elderSenior figure of authority
- headUppermost body part
- progenitorAncestor or originator
forefather · lineage · clan · dynasty · bloodline · ancestry · genealogy · household · kinfolk · sire
elder
Senior figure of authority
grandfather · respected · revered · wise · aged · ancient · venerable · doyen · dignified · time-honored
head
Uppermost body part
dominance · control · command · governance · supremacy · power · hierarchy · overlord · chieftain · autocrat
pope
Catholic Church's supreme leader
- pontiffSupreme Catholic leader
- metropolitanOf a major city
- archbishopSenior prelate over province
bishop · prelate · primate · see · patriarchate · diocese · synod · mitre · crosier · Constantinople
male-dominated
Controlled primarily by men
- traditionalismAdherence to inherited customs
- conservatismPreference for existing institutions
- hegemonyDominant group's control
chauvinism · subordination · inequality · hierarchy · sexism · dominance · masculinity · oppression · feminism · reform
- Eastern ChristianityEastern Orthodox, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Orthodox Christianity, Greek Orthodoxy
- familymother, parents, siblings, parent, son
- kinshipmother, sister, brother, children, parent
- ancestryancestors, kinship, ancestor, clan, ancestry
- family eldersgrandma, grandpa, grandfather, grandmother, grandparent
- family historygenealogy, ancestry, ancestor, ancestors, descendant
patriarchmatriarch
Female family leader
materfamilias · clan mother · grandmother · queen mother · mother
patriarchoffspring
Biological descendants produced
descendant · youngest child · heir · junior member · scion
patriarchabbess
Female monastic leader
prioress · high priestess · laywoman · layperson · congregant
- patriarchal societySocial order favoring men
- patriarchal traditionsCustoms centered on male authority
- family patriarchMale head of household
- patriarchal valuesBeliefs privileging male dominance
- patriarchal societiesCommunities where men dominate
- patriarchal structureSystem favoring male authority
patriarchal, patriarchy, patriarchs, patriarchies, patriarchic