paterfamilias

See also: pater familias

English

Alternative forms

• pater familias

Etymology

(c. 1425 to 1475) From late Middle English, from Latin pater familiās. From Latin pater ("father") + familiās, archaic genitive of familia ("family", "household"). Literally: "father of the family" or "father of the household".

Noun

paterfamilias (plural paterfamiliases or patresfamilias)

1. A man who is the head of a household, family or tribe.

Synonyms

• patriarch

Coordinate terms

• (woman who is the head of a household) materfamilias

Translations

a man who is the head of a household

Arabic: رَبّ اَلْعَائِلَة m (rabb al-ʕāʔila) Faroese: húsbóndi m Galician: petrucio m Georgian: ტანუტერი (ṭanuṭeri) German: Paterfamilias (de) m, Familienvater (de) m Greek: πάτερ φαμίλιας (el) m (páter famílias) Hungarian: családfő (hu), családapa (hu) Irish: ceann tí m, ceann urra teaghlaigh m Italian: padre di famiglia Latin: pater familias m Sicilian: patri di famigghia Spanish: paterfamilias (es) m Volapük: famülafat

Spanish

Noun

paterfamilias m (plural paterfamilias)

1. paterfamilias

Further reading

• “paterfamilias”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024