[pey-tree-uh poh-tes-tuh
s, pah-, pa-; Lat. pah-tri-ah poh-tes-tahs] 
| the power vested in the paterfamilias or head of the Roman family with respect to his wife, natural or adopted children, and agnatic descendants: title to family property is vested exclusively in the paterfamilias. Property acquired by a family member becomes family property, and no family member can enter into a transaction in his or her own right. |