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• pater
  pater

  noun

  father.
• Pater
  Pater

  noun

  Walter Horatio, 1839–94, English critic, essayist, and novelist.

pater

¹ American  

[pey-ter, pat-er] / ˈpeɪ tər, ˈpæt ər /

noun

paters plural

1. British Informal. father.

2. (often initial capital letter) the paternoster; Lord's Prayer.

3. a recitation of it.

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Pater ² American  

[pey-ter] / ˈpeɪ tər /

noun

1. Walter Horatio, 1839–94, English critic, essayist, and novelist.

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Pater ¹ British  

/ ˈpeɪtə /

noun

1. Walter ( Horatio ). 1839–94, English essayist and critic, noted for his prose style and his advocation of the "love of art for its own sake". His works include the philosophical romance Marius the Epicurean (1885), Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873), and Imaginary Portraits (1887)

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pater ² British  

/ ˈpeɪtə /

noun

1. facetious a public school slang word for father

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pater

1300–50; Middle English < Latin: father

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pater Pater paters

For instance, we find closely matching terms in Latin with "pater," Sanskrit's "pitar" and in Greek with "patér" – all older languages that developed separately from the Germanic line.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2022

The line “Hoping for the arms of mater” rhymes with pater, but I didn’t know what it was like to have a mother.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 27, 2018

Yet critics maintain that the Packers have betrayed not only the country but also the pater familias of football: legendary Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2017

Cosby set Constand up on a meeting with Lou Weiss, a pater familias of the old WMA who retired in 2007.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2017

So apparently the pater wasn’t a complete moron, but Annabeth remained confident.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

After long-range efforts in his last two outings in the Prem Rugby Cup, Obatoyinbo sliced up the left wing and stepped around Saints prospect James Pater for another great score on his first Prem appearance.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Seits and Pater won their final five matches and finished 12-1 as a pair this season.

From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2024

"I was surprised by how quickly clouds disappeared on Neptune," de Pater added.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2023

And if “all art constantly aspires toward the condition of music,” as Walter Pater wrote, what can poor songless plays hope to achieve?

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2022

In his hand was the bread knife that Pater Lumley had used to make sandwiches.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

This single parent language – known as Proto Indo-European – spawned all these later languages and their shared word for paters.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2022

“Good man. But best not mention it to”—Hugo nodded through the garage wall—“the maters and the paters, or we'll spend the rest of the afternoon playing Ludo or the Game of Life under strict supervision.”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Then he remained quite still for about five paters and aves, and smiled toward the ceiling.

From Without Dogma by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

So that avenin' he ordhered his monks to say a thousand craydos, an' two thousand paters an' aves, an' afther that was done, he got in his boat an' crassed the lake.

From Irish Wonders by McAnally, D. R. (David Russell)

The guard just whispered in my ear, that he saw you look at the priming of your pistols before getting in; and faith I said four paters, and a hail Mary, before you'd count five.

From The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer — Volume 2 by Lever, Charles James