# patriarch

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/ · frequency rank #19,413

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
4. An old leader of a village or community.
5. The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a clan or extended family.
6. The male head of a household or nuclear family.

## Etymology
From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-ắrkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (pătḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. By surface analysis, patri- + -arch.

## Easily confused with
- **patriarchy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/patriarch-vs-patriarchy)
- **patriarchal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/patriarch-vs-patriarchal)

## Common misspellings (14)
`aptriarch`, `partiarch`, `patirarch`, `patrairch`, `patriacrh`, `patriarcch`, `patriarchh`, `patriarhc`, `patriarrch`, `patrirach`, `patrriarch`, `pattriarch`, `ppatriarch`, `ptariarch`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/patriarch