patriarch
Noun
Meaning
The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; -- usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses.
A dignitary superior to the order of archbishops; as, the patriarch of Constantinople, of Alexandria, or of Antioch.
A venerable old man; an elder. Also used figuratively.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
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Phrases with the word
Examples
He wasn't completely wrong, poor old Gemistus (let Lord Andronicus and the patriarch suspect him if they like), in wanting us, telling us to become pagan once again.
Through the sequester'd vale of rural life The venerable patriarch guileless held The tenor of his way.
It was a minute or two before I could get the negroes to rise and leave the President. The scene was so touching I hated to disturb it, yet we could not stay there all day; we had to move on; so I requested the patriarch to withdraw from about the President with his companions and let us pass on.
Charles Darwin, the Abraham of scientific men - a searcher as obedient to the command of truth as was the patriarch to the command of God.
I was reading The Bible a lot through my 20s, mostly the Old Testament, just because I was knocked out by the language and the stories. I felt that the God being talked about there, who was this insane, vindictive patriarch - it was kind of thrilling, and titillated something in me at the time.
In twenty-four hours, a house can become a patriarch.