From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpatriarchpa‧tri‧arch /ˈpeɪtriɑːk $ -ɑːrk/ noun [countable] 1 SSFan old man who is respected as the head of a family or tribe → matriarch2 RRCa bishop in the early Christian church3 RRCa bishop of the Orthodox Christian churches who is very high in rank
Examples from the Corpus
patriarch• It was called not by a pope, nor even a patriarch, but by the Empress Irene.• He is its founder, leader and patriarch.• The 1994 deal with Prince Waleed came a year after the death of family patriarch Mel Swig.• In 1905 he was made the first patriarch templar.• Wherever the Lutheran patriarch went, he ran into the problem of disorders.• Perversely, Tess adores this faintly sinister patriarch, and hopes to wheedle her way into his affections.• He replaced Vazgen I, who died in August 1994 after nearly four decades as supreme patriarch.Origin patriarch (1100-1200) Old French patriarche, from Late Latin, from Greek, from patria “family” + -arches “ruler” 