paterfamilias
Americannoun
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the male head of a household or family, usually the father.
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Roman Law.
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the head of the Roman family; a juridical entity who holds the patria potestas.
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a person who is not under the patria potestas of another.
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noun
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the male head of a household
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Roman law
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the head of a household having authority over its members
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the parental or other authority of another person
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of paterfamilias
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin: literally, father (i.e., master) of the household, with archaic genitive form familiās of familia; see family
Explanation
A paterfamilias is the male head of a family, clan, or tribe. If you consider your grandfather to be the head of your family, you can call him a paterfamilias. The word paterfamilias comes from ancient Roman law. The word itself is Latin, combining pater, "father," and familias, "family." In other words, he was the father of the family — and in Rome, that meant that he had legal rights to everything the family owned and authority over each of its members. These days, the paterfamilias is more likely to simply preside over family reunions and hold grandchildren on his knee.
Vocabulary lists containing paterfamilias
Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 3–4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Crown won one other award, for the direction of the second season’s ninth episode, Paterfamilias.
From The Guardian • Sep. 17, 2018
A Hint to Paterfamilias, a cartoon by John Leech, 1858, indicts the sweet-making industry.
From The Guardian • Apr. 18, 2016
But Paterfamilias Leonard makes no mistakes in his rendering of tigers, camels, bighorn sheep, aardvarks and other forms of animal life: the creatures seem to have an existence beyond the page.
From Time Magazine Archive
Paterfamilias Ted braved the Thunderbolt roller coaster with Teddy Jr., 15, sailed through the "Music Express" with Kara, 17, and happily bumped minicars with Patrick, 10.
From Time Magazine Archive
He puts an ignoble end to the excited trotting-match on the road: he alike mercilessly pulls up Paterfamilias hurrying for the doctor and the city man struggling to catch the train.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 12, No. 32, November, 1873 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
