hierarchy

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: hi=er=ar=chy

CIDE DICTIONARY

hierarchy, n. [Gr. 'ierarchi`a: cf. F. hiérarchie.].

•  Dominion or authority in sacred things.  [1913 Webster]
•  A body of officials disposed organically in ranks and orders each subordinate to the one above it; a body of ecclesiastical rulers.  [1913 Webster]
•  A form of government administered in the church by patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, and, in an inferior degree, by priests.  Shipley.  [1913 Webster]
•  A rank or order of holy beings.  [1913 Webster]

  "Standards and gonfalons . . . for distinction serve
  Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees."
•  Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it; also, the entire set of ordering relations between such objects. The ordering relation between each object and the one above is called a hierarchical relation.

  "Classification schemes, as in biology, usually form hierarchies."  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

hierarchy, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a a system in which grades or classes of status or authority are ranked one above the other (ranks third in the hierarchy). b the hierarchical system (of government, management, etc.).
2 a priestly government. b a priesthood organized in grades.
3 a each of the three divisions of angels. b the angels.

Derivative

hierarchic adj. hierarchical adj. hierarchism n. hierarchize v.tr. (also -ise).

Etymology

ME f. OF ierarchie f. med.L (h)ierarchia f. Gk hierarkhia (as HIERARCH)

THESAURUS

hierarchy

absolute monarchy, aedileship, animal kingdom, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, archiepiscopate, aristocracy, autarchy, autocracy, autonomy, bishopric, bureaucracy, caste, chain of being, chairmanship, chancellery, chancellorate, chancellorship, chiefery, chiefry, chieftaincy, chieftainry, chieftainship, class, class structure, coalition government, colonialism, commonwealth, condition, constitutional government, constitutional monarchy, consulate, consulship, continuity, deanery, degree, democracy, dictatorship, dictature, directorate, directorship, domain, dominion rule, duarchy, duumvirate, dyarchy, echelon, emirate, episcopacy, establishment, federal government, federation, feudal system, footing, garrison state, gerontocracy, governorship, gradation, headship, hegemony, heteronomy, hierocracy, higher echelons, higher-ups, home rule, kingdom, leadership, limited monarchy, lordship, magistracy, magistrateship, magistrature, management, martial law, masterdom, mastership, mastery, mayoralty, mayorship, meritocracy, metropolitanate, metropolitanship, militarism, military government, mineral kingdom, ministry, mob rule, mobocracy, monarchy, natural hierarchy, neocolonialism, nobility, ochlocracy, officialdom, oligarchy, order, pantisocracy, papacy, pashadom, pashalic, patriarchate, patriarchy, pecking order, place, police state, pontificality, pontificate, popedom, popehood, popeship, position, power structure, precedence, prefectship, prefecture, prelacy, premiership, presidency, presidentship, prime-ministership, prime-ministry, princedom, princeship, principality, proconsulate, proconsulship, protectorate, protectorship, provostry, provostship, pure democracy, pyramid, rank, rate, rating, realm, rectorate, rectorship, regency, regentship, representative democracy, representative government, republic, ruling class, ruling classes, seigniory, self-determination, self-government, seneschalship, seneschalsy, sequence, serial order, sheikhdom, sheriffalty, sheriffcy, sheriffdom, shrievalty, social democracy, sphere, stage, standing, station, status, stratocracy, subordination, supervisorship, suzerainship, suzerainty, technocracy, the Establishment, the administration, the authorities, the ingroup, the interests, the people upstairs, the power elite, the power structure, the top, thearchy, them, theocracy, they, top brass, totalitarian government, totalitarian regime, triarchy, tribunate, triumvirate, tyranny, vegetable kingdom, vizierate, viziership, welfare state