paterfamilias Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the male head of family or tribe
    patriarch.

WordNet

Pa`ter*fa*mil`i*as noun
Etymology
L., fr. pater father + familias, gen. of familia family.
Wordforms
plural Pateresfamilias
Definitions
  1. (Rom. Law) The head of a family; in a large sense, the proprietor of an estate; one who is his own master.

Webster 1913