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Definition of paterfamilias noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

paterfamilias

noun

/ˌpeɪtəfəˈmɪliæs/

/ˌpætərfəˈmɪliæs/

[singular] (formal or humorous)

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the man who is the head of a familyTopics Family and relationshipsc2
Word OriginLatin, literally ‘father of the family’.

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See paterfamilias in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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