1. The male head of family or tribe
   "As patriarch, he made all important decisions for the household";
   - paterfamilias
    
2. Title for the heads of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (in Istanbul and Alexandria and Moscow and Jerusalem)
   "The Patriarch of Constantinople is considered the first among equals in Eastern Orthodox Christianity"
    
3. A man who is older and higher in rank than yourself
   "The family patriarch made all the important decisions"
    
4. Any of the early biblical characters regarded as fathers of the human race
   "Abraham is considered a patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam"

Derived forms: patriarchs

Type of: adult male, bozo [N. Amer, informal], cat [N. Amer, informal], chappie [Brit, informal], father, forefather, geezer [Brit, informal], graybeard [US], greybeard [Brit, Cdn], guy [informal], head of household, hombre [N. Amer, informal], man, Methuselah, old man, sire, sod [informal], spiritual leader

Encyclopedia: Patriarch