pater
1 Americannoun
-
British Informal. father.
-
(often initial capital letter) the paternoster; Lord's Prayer.
-
a recitation of it.
noun
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pater
1300–50; Middle English < Latin: father
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.
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
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
Putin himself, a father figure to his proteges, would then become a pater patriae, or, to use a Singaporean formula, a president mentor.
From The Guardian • Mar. 27, 2017
“Mithras protects us! I am the pater of this brotherhood—” “The father,” Annabeth translated.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
![]()
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.