patriarch
n. countablen. the male head of a family or tribe. In a broader sense, it can also mean a powerful older man who leads a group or organization.
n. the male head of a family, clan, or tribal lineage. In ecclesiastical contexts, it refers to a high-ranking bishop in certain Eastern churches; in sociological contexts, it describes a man who holds primary power within a social system.
The family patriarch gathered everyone for his eightieth birthday.
As the oldest living member of the dynasty, he served as the patriarch and final arbiter of all business disputes.
The novel explores the slow decline of a once-powerful patriarch whose rigid traditionalism eventually alienates the very heirs he sought to protect.
From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-ắrkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (pătḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. By surface analysis, patri- + -arch.
Often used metaphorically to describe the founding father of a movement or industry.