Where does “patriarch” come from?
patriarch (Middle Dutch) comes from Latin patriarcha, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης, from Ancient Greek -άρχης, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Ancestry of “patriarch”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | patriarcha | patriarch |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πατριάρχης | a patriarch |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -άρχης | -arch |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |