pater familias

(noun)

Father, or (male) head of household.

Related Terms

Examples of pater familias in the following topics:

  • First Declension

    • a) An old form of the Genitive Singular in -ās is preserved in the combination pater familiās, father of a family; also in māter familiās, fīlius familiās, fīlia familiās.
    • But the regular form of the Genitive in -ae is also admissible in these expressions; as, pater familiae.

  • Roman Society

    • Within the household, the pater familias was the seat of authority, possessing power over his wife, other women who bore his sons, his children, his nephews, his slaves, and the freedmen to whom he granted freedom.

  • The Seven Kings

    • These men were called patres (from pater: father, head), and their descendants became the patricians.

  • Third Declension

    • Juppiter is for Jou-pater, and therefore contains the same stem as in Jov-is, Jov-ī, etc.