From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpaterfamiliaspa‧ter‧fa‧mil‧ias /ˌpeɪtəfəˈmiːliæs $ ˌpɑːtərfəˈmiːliəs/ noun [countable] formal a father or a man who is the head of a family
Examples from the Corpus
paterfamilias• As a paterfamilias, Charlemagne did well.• In days to come as a staid married man and paterfamilias I shall remember my darling Lily with affection ...• Then they became part of the family-Ellwood as paterfamilias.• After six wives and eight children, he emerges as a smiling paterfamilias.• Mat, winsome, handsome, pipe-smoking paterfamilias, introduced us to the fishermen at the table.Origin paterfamilias (1400-1500) Latin “father of a family” 