patriarcal

Forms

patriarcal m or f (masculine and feminine plural patriarcales)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin patriarchālis (“of a patriarch”).^[2][1][3] The Late Latin adjective is formed from patriarcha (“patriarch”) with the suffix -ālis.^[1] The Latin noun is from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “head of a family”), a compound of πατριά (patriá, “lineage, clan”) and ἄρχω (árkhō, “to rule”).^[4] Wiktionary also notes that in Spanish it can be analysed as patriarca with the suffix -al.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corominas finds it first in Berceo, like patriarca itself;^[5] DEMel places it in the poem Del sacrificio de la misa (c. 1237).^[4][5] The CDH's first hit is a translation of Jacques de Vitry's history of Jerusalem (after 1350), about the patriarch's church of the Holy Sepulchre: la eglesia patriarcal que es del Santo Sepulcro.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In medieval and Golden Age texts the adjective belongs to the patriarchs of the Bible (la generaçion patriarcal, su fe patriarcal) and to the patriarchs of the Church, with their see, church and chairs.^[6][7] Autoridades still spelled it patriarchal;^[7][8] Terreros gave it as patriarcal.^[7][8] From 1817 the Academy also gave it as a feminine noun for the church, territory and jurisdiction of a patriarch.^[9]

From the 19th century it was used for the simple, family-like virtues of the biblical age (virtudes patriarcales, Havana 1817).^[10] The 2001 edition of the Academy's dictionary defined patriarchal authority as authority exercised with simplicity and kindness; the DLE now defines it as power exercised in an authoritarian way under a paternalistic appearance.^[11][2]

Timeline

• c. 1237 – first record, in Berceo.^[4][5]
• after 1350 – the eglesia patriarcal of the Holy Sepulchre in a translation of Jacques de Vitry.^[6]
• 1481–1496 – Juan del Encina writes of a fe patriarcal.^[6]
• 1722 – first record in the Americas, in Yucatán, in the spelling patriarchales.^[10]
• 1726–1739 – Autoridades has it as patriarchal.^[7]
• 1817 – the Academy gives it as a feminine noun for the patriarch's church and territory.^[9]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary gives the etymology from Latin patriarchalis.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to a patriarca or to the patriarcado; patriarchal: Era una familia de costumbres patriarcales.^[2][13][1]
2. Of power: exercised in an authoritarian way under a paternalistic appearance.^[2]

Noun

1. (feminine) The church of a patriarch.^[2][13]
2. (feminine) The territory under a patriarch's jurisdiction.^[2][13]

Related words

• patriarca
• patriarcado
• padre
• Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs)

Usage notes

Set phrases include cruz patriarcal and iglesia patriarcal.^[2][14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. patriarcal
3. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. patriarcal
4. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 4, 335
5. ^ a b c Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. patriarcal
6. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. patriarcal
7. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 5, 165
8. ^ a b Terreros y Pando, Esteban de (1786–1793), Diccionario castellano con las voces de ciencias y artes y sus correspondientes de las tres lenguas francesa, latina e italiana, 4 vols., Madrid: Viuda de Ibarra, p. 3, 65
9. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 649
10. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. patriarcal
11. ^ Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. patriarcal
12. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 801
13. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. patriarcal
14. ^ Alemany y Bolufer, José (1917), Diccionario de la lengua española, Barcelona: Ramón Sopena, p. 1278