1. The father and ruler of a family or tribe; specifically in the New Testament, and uses derived from there, the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom the tribes of Israel were descended; also, the fathers of the race, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their forefathers.
2. The title of the bishops of the four patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, the Patriarch of Constantinople being the Head of the Church or Ecumenical Patriarch. Also the title of the heads of the other Eastern Churches, as the Abyssinian, Armenian, Jacobite, and Coptic.
3. In the Roman Catholic Church; a bishop second only to the pope in episcopal, and to the pope and cardinals in hierarchical rank, and next above primates and metropolitans. The title of the Latin bishops of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem; also, of those of the three minor patriarchates, the Indies, Lisbon, and Venice.
4. One who is regarded as the father or founder of an order, institution, or tradition, or (by extension) of a science, school of thought, or the like.
5. A venerable old man; especially, the oldest man, the "father" of a village or neighbourhood; the veteran or oldest living representative of a class, profession, art, or such.