hierarchy
Use Hierarchy in a sentence
əˌrɑr noun, plural hi·er·ar·chies.
1.
any system of persons or things ranked one above another.
2.
government by ecclesiastical rulers.
3.
the power or dominion of a hierarch.
4.
an organized body of ecclesiastical officials in successive ranks or orders: the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
5.
one of the three divisions of the angels, each made up of three orders, conceived as constituting a graded body.
6.
Also called celestial hierarchy. the collective body of angels.
7.
government by an elite group.
8.
Origin:
1300–50; < Medieval Latin hierarchia < Late Greek hierarchía rule or power of the high priest, equivalent to hier- hier- + archía -archy; replacing Middle English jerarchie < Middle French ierarchie < Medieval Latin ierarchia, variant of hierarchia
1300–50; < Medieval Latin hierarchia < Late Greek hierarchía rule or power of the high priest, equivalent to hier- hier- + archía -archy; replacing Middle English jerarchie < Middle French ierarchie < Medieval Latin ierarchia, variant of hierarchia
Related forms
an·ti·hi·er·ar·chy, noun, plural an·ti·hi·er·ar·chies, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To hierarchy
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Hierarchy
is always a great word to know.
So is dialect atlas. Does it mean:
| distinctive feature analysis articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, labial |
| a collection of maps of a certain area indicating the distribution of various phonological, morphological, lexical, or other features of the dialects of that area |
Collins
World English Dictionary
hierarchy (ˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -chies | |
| 1. | a system of persons or things arranged in a graded order |
| 2. | a body of persons in holy orders organized into graded ranks |
| 3. | the collective body of those so organized |
| 4. | a series of ordered groupings within a system, such as the arrangement of plants and animals into classes, orders, families, etc |
| 5. | linguistics, maths ordering heterarchy Compare tree a formal structure, usually represented by a diagram of connected nodes, with a single uppermost element |
| 6. | government by an organized priesthood |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs high priest; see | |
| hier'archical | |
| —adj | |
| hier'archic | |
| —adj | |
| hier'archically | |
| —adv | |
| 'hierarchism | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hierarchy
c.1343, from O.Fr. ierarchie, from M.L. hierarchia "ranked division of angels" (in the system of Dionysius the Areopagite), from Gk. hierarchia "rule of a high priest," from hierarches "high priest, leader of sacred rites," from ta hiera "the sacred rites" (neut. pl. of hieros "sacred") + archein "to
lead, rule." Sense of "ranked organization of persons or things" first recorded 1619, initially of clergy, probably infl. by higher.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
hierarchy definition
An organisation with few things, or one thing, at the top and with several things below each other thing. An inverted tree structure. Examples in computing include a directory hierarchy where each directory may contain files or other directories; a hierarchical network (see hierarchical routing), a class hierarchy in object-oriented programming.
(1994-10-11)
Example sentences
It was an age in which social hierarchy was considered a reflection of the divine order of the universe.
Newt made a good start along those lines, before being silenced by the party hierarchy, and the press is starting to dig in.
The streets exist in a hierarchy from broad boulevards to narrow lanes and alleys.
Even when your adviser cooperates, you may run into resistance further up the hierarchy.
Nearby Words
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