hierarchy

American  

[hahy-uh-rahr-kee, hahy-rahr-] / ˈhaɪ əˌrɑr ki, ˈhaɪ rɑr- /

noun

plural

hierarchies

1. any system of persons or things ranked one above another.

2. government by ecclesiastical rulers.

3. the power or dominion of a hierarch.

4. an organized body of ecclesiastical officials in successive ranks or orders.

   the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

5. one of the three divisions of the angels, each made up of three orders, conceived as constituting a graded body.

6. Also called celestial hierarchy.  the collective body of angels.

7. government by an elite group.

8. Linguistics. the system of levels according to which a language is organized, as phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, or semantic.

---

hierarchy British  

/ ˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪ /

noun

1. a system of persons or things arranged in a graded order

2. a body of persons in holy orders organized into graded ranks

3. the collective body of those so organized

4. a series of ordered groupings within a system, such as the arrangement of plants and animals into classes, orders, families, etc

5. linguistics maths a formal structure, usually represented by a diagram of connected nodes, with a single uppermost element Compare ordering heterarchy tree

6. government by an organized priesthood

---

Other Word Forms

• antihierarchy noun
• hierarchical adjective
• hierarchically adverb
• hierarchism noun

Etymology

Origin of hierarchy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English jerarchie, from Middle French ierarchie, gerarchie, from Medieval Latin (h)ierarchia, from Late Greek hierarchía “stewardship of sacred rites, rule or power of the high priest,” equivalent to hier(o)- “holy, sacred” + -archía, a combining form meaning “rule”; hier(o)-, -archy

Example Sentences

Not only will Howe be desperate to generate some momentum and finish the campaign on a high - the hierarchy, clearly, expect a strong return from the final seven games of the season.

From BBC

Tottenham Hotspur's hierarchy have finally addressed the mistake they made with the outlandish appointment of Igor Tudor as interim head coach – but the stakes are now so high they cannot afford another.

From BBC

His unique selling point, in an appointment that smacked of panic from Tottenham's hierarchy, was that he had a chequered coaching career but a record of having the sort of instant impact the club required.

From BBC

"The United States also strongly objects to the resolution's attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy," he added.

From Barron's

In the weeks leading up to that explosive interview, he was left upset after meetings with the Liverpool hierarchy, including sporting director Richard Hughes, where it was outlined that he could be benched.

From BBC

Related Words

• pecking order
• ranking