paterfamilias
Americannoun
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the male head of a household or family, usually the father.
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Roman Law.
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the head of the Roman family; a juridical entity who holds the patria potestas.
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a person who is not under the patria potestas of another.
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noun
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the male head of a household
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Roman law
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the head of a household having authority over its members
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the parental or other authority of another person
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of paterfamilias
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin: literally, father (i.e., master) of the household, with archaic genitive form familiās of familia; see family
Explanation
A paterfamilias is the male head of a family, clan, or tribe. If you consider your grandfather to be the head of your family, you can call him a paterfamilias. The word paterfamilias comes from ancient Roman law. The word itself is Latin, combining pater, "father," and familias, "family." In other words, he was the father of the family — and in Rome, that meant that he had legal rights to everything the family owned and authority over each of its members. These days, the paterfamilias is more likely to simply preside over family reunions and hold grandchildren on his knee.
Vocabulary lists containing paterfamilias
Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 3–4
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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.
Burden internalized this pattern, of foregrounding the importance of the paterfamilias at the expense of real intimacy, of keeping up appearances despite the private pain.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
He believes that this number accounts for roughly 3,000 individuals, because in many cases it was only the paterfamilias who was recorded in inscriptions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
There were meant to be so many rebels that they could be split into 'five families', a label that even one paterfamilias privately lamented "makes us look ridiculous".
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023
George also leaned into his role as Britain’s paterfamilias.
From National Geographic • Jul. 3, 2023
And nor did I mistake for long Pierrot, much shriveled and with a shining pate I wanted to put my hand on, but still twinkly as ever and very much the paterfamilias.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
