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.

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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

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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

Similarly, there is a feeling within the Forest hierarchy that Dyche's appointment has not had the impact they had hoped.

From BBC

Likewise, there was a belief from within Tottenham's hierarchy that Frank had been dealt a rough hand given the campaign has been disrupted by injuries to key players.

From BBC

Despite the Newcastle defeat, which saw frustrated home fans call for him to be "sacked in the morning", Frank was confident of remaining in charge after speaking to the Spurs hierarchy on Monday.

From Barron's

However, the Tottenham hierarchy believe Frank has been dealt a rough hand.

From BBC

Frank explained that he spoke with the club's hierarchy on Monday and does not expect the situation to change before the north London derby.

From Barron's

Related Words

• pecking order
• ranking