1a : one of the scriptural fathers of the human race or of the Hebrew people Abraham was a patriarch of the Israelites. b : a man who is father or founder The newspaper patriarch celebrated his 90th birthday.

Why is it called a patriarch?

The word is derived from Greek πατριάρχης (patriarchēs), meaning "chief or father of a family", a compound of πατριά (patria), meaning "family", and ἄρχειν (archein), meaning "to rule". Originally, a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family.

What is the patriarchs in simple words?

patriarchs. See word origin. Frequency: The definition of a patriarch is the father and male ruler, or a man regarded as the founder.