patriarchate

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun the jurisdiction of a patriarch
  2. noun a form of social organization in which a male is the family head and title is traced through the male line

Etymology

From Middle French patriarcat, from Old French patriarcat, from Medieval Latin patriarchatus, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “patriarch”). By surface analysis, patriarch + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, the concrete charge of it, a body of people involved with it).

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