paterfamilias

[ pey-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs, pah-, pat-er- ]
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noun,plural pa·ter·fa·mil·i·as·es for 1, pa·tres·fa·mil·i·as [pey-treez-fuh-mil-ee-uhs, pah-, pa-] /ˌpeɪ triz fəˈmɪl i əs, ˌpɑ-, ˌpæ-/ for 2.
  1. the male head of a household or family, usually the father.

  2. Roman Law.

    • the head of the Roman family; a juridical entity who holds the patria potestas.

    • a person who is not under the patria potestas of another.

Origin of paterfamilias

1
1425–75; late Middle English <Latin: literally, father (i.e., master) of the household, with archaic genitive form familiās of familia;see family

Other words from paterfamilias

  • pa·ter·fa·mil·iar, adjective
  • pa·ter·fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb

Words Nearby paterfamilias

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How to use paterfamilias in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for paterfamilias

paterfamilias

/ (ˌpeɪtəfəˈmɪlɪˌæs) /


nounplural patresfamilias (ˌpɑːtreɪzfəˈmɪlɪˌæs)
  1. the male head of a household

  2. Roman law

    • the head of a household having authority over its members

    • the parental or other authority of another person

Origin of paterfamilias

1
Latin: father of the family

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012