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Synonyms

paterfamilias

American  
[pey-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs, pah-, pat-er-] / ˌpeɪ tər fəˈmɪl i əs, ˌpɑ-, ˌpæt ər- /

noun

plural

paterfamiliases, patresfamilias

  1. the male head of a household or family, usually the father.

  2. Roman Law.

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

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

paterfamilias British  
/ ˌpeɪtəfəˈmɪlɪˌæs /

noun

  1. the male head of a household

  2. Roman law

    1. the head of a household having authority over its members

    2. the parental or other authority of another person

"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

Other Word Forms

  • paterfamiliar adjective
  • paterfamiliarly adverb

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; family

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.