patrician
pa·tri·cian/pəˈtɹɪʃən/noun, adjective
patrician is spelled P-A-T-R-I-C-I-A-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables (pa·tri·cian). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, patrician means “A member of any of the families constituting the populus Romanus, or body of Roman citizens, before the development of the plebeian order; later, one…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of patrician is patricians.
How many letters and syllables are in patrician?
| Letters | 9: P-A-T-R-I-C-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pa·tri·cian |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is patrician?
Patrician appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce patrician?
- /pəˈtɹɪʃən/
Patrician has 3 syllables, split pa·tri·cian in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-patrician.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of patrician
- patricians plural
- more patrician comparative
- most patrician superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does patrician mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A member of any of the families constituting the populus Romanus, or body of Roman citizens, before the development of the plebeian order; later, one who, by right of birth or by special privilege conferred, belonged to the senior class of Romans, who, with certain property, had by right a seat in the Roman Senate.
- 2
A person of high birth; a nobleman.
The emperor elevated several loyal families to the status of patricians.
- 3
One familiar with the works of the Christian Fathers; one versed in patristic lore or life.
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (“fathers”) or senators, or patricians.
- 2
Of or pertaining to a person of high birth; noble; not plebeian; aristocratic.
- 3
Characteristic of or appropriate to a person of high birth; classy.
- 4
Politically active to help people in lower classes, especially in a patronizing or condescending way.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to Saint Patrick.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Patrician in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does patrician come from?
Borrowed from Middle French patricien, from Latin patricius, derived from patrēs cōnscrīptī (“Roman senators”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).