the male head of a family or community compare matriarchTopics Family and relationshipsc2(男性)家长,族长,酋长 an old man that people have a lot of respect for 德高望重的男性长者 - Patriarch
the title of a most senior bishop (= a senior priest) in the Orthodox or Roman Catholic Church (东正教和天主教的)牧首,宗主教 the Patriarch of Constantinople 君士坦丁堡牧首 the Orthodox Patriarch 东正教主教
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French patriarche, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek patriarkhēs, from patria ‘family’ + arkhēs ‘ruling’.