hierarchy

[hahy-uh-rahr-kee, hahy-rahr-]

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

/ 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
• hierarchically adverb
• hierarchism noun
• hierarchical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hierarchy¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hierarchy¹

C14: from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs high priest; see _hiero- , _-archy

Example Sentences

"I want to say clearly today, that no victim should ever feel that they have to put themselves in a hierarchy or feel any shame," he told the Commons.

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They alienate young men, not just from women but also from each other, nurturing a worldview that sees all relationships as determined by hierarchy and domination.

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"The entire hierarchy of the armed forces has been changed, which is going to cause serious internal rifts," said Malik.

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What we are witnessing is not a descent into chaos, but a controlled assertion of hierarchy.

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It was the second round of 200 redundancies this year that allowed the hierarchy to pursue a different staffing model, so finance could be used in what was felt to be a more efficient way.

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Related Words

• pecking order 
• ranking