hierarchies
|hi-er-ar-chies|
🇺🇸
/ˈhaɪərɑrkiz/
🇬🇧
/ˈhaɪə(r)ɑːkiz/
(hierarchy)
ranked system
Etymology
'hierarchy' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'hierarchia', from the Greek 'hierarkhia', where 'hieros' meant 'sacred' and 'arkhos' (or 'arkhēs') meant 'ruler'.
'hierarchy' changed from the Greek word 'hierarkhia' into the Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'hierarchia', passed into Old French and Middle English as 'hierarchie', and eventually became the modern English word 'hierarchy'.
Initially, it meant 'rule or order of priests/sacred rulers', but over time it broadened to mean any system of ranked authority or layered organization.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
Many large companies maintain complex hierarchies of management and staff.
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Noun 2
an ordered series or arrangement of items, concepts, or categories according to relative importance or inclusiveness (e.g., taxonomic or conceptual hierarchies).
In biology, taxonomic hierarchies classify organisms from kingdom down to species.
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Noun 3
a body of persons in authority, especially in a religious organization (often used collectively).
The church's hierarchies debated the new policy.
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Last updated: 2025/10/28 22:16