Patriarch

·noun A venerable old man; an elder. Also used figuratively.

II. Patriarch ·noun A dignitary superior to the order of archbishops; as, the patriarch of Constantinople, of Alexandria, or of Antioch.

III. Patriarch ·noun 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.