Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Patriarch \Pa"tri*arch\, n. [F. patriarche, L. patriarcha, Gr.
   ?, fr. ? lineage, especially on the father's side, race; ?
   father + ? a leader, chief, fr. ? to lead, rule. See
   {Father}, {Archaic}.]
   1. The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his
      family or descendants by paternal right; -- usually
      applied to heads of families in ancient history,
      especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who
      lived before the time of Moses.

   2. (R. C. Ch. & Gr. Ch.) A dignitary superior to the order of
      archbishops; as, the patriarch of Constantinople, of
      Alexandria, or of Antioch.

   3. A venerable old man; an elder. Also used figuratively.

            The patriarch hoary, the sage of his kith and the
            hamlet.                               --Longfellow.

            The monarch oak, the partiarch of trees. --Dryde.

Source : WordNet®

Patriarch
     n 1: title for the heads of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (in
          Istanbul and Alexandria and Moscow and Jerusalem)
     2: the male head of family or tribe [syn: {paterfamilias}]
     3: any of the early Biblical characters regarded as fathers of
        the human race
     4: a man who is older and higher in rank than yourself