Definition of "patriarch" in English

noun

1. (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.

2. (biblical) 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.