What does HIERARCHY mean?

Definitions for HIERARCHY
ˈhaɪ əˌrɑr ki, ˈhaɪ rɑr-hi·er·ar·chy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word HIERARCHY.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. hierarchynoun

    a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system

    "put honesty first in her hierarchy of values"

  2. hierarchy, power structure, pecking ordernoun

    the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body

GCIDE

  1. Hierarchynoun

    (Math., Logic, Computers) 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.

Wiktionary

  1. hierarchynoun

    A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.

  2. hierarchynoun

    Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it.

  3. Etymology: From ierarchie from hierarchia, from ἱεραρχία, from ἱεράρχης, from ἱερεύς and ἀρχή. Compare hiérarchie.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Hierarchynoun

    Etymology: hierarchie, French, from hierarch.

    Out of the hierarchies of angels sheen,
    The gentle Gabriel call’d he from the rest. Edward Fairfax, b. i.

    He rounds the air, and breaks the hymnick notes
    In birds, heav’n’s choristers, organick throats;
    Which, if they did not die, might seem to be
    A tenth rank in the heavenly hierarchy. John Donne.

    These the supreme king
    Exalted to such pow’r, and gave to rule,
    Each in his hierarchy, the orders bright. John Milton, Par. Lost.

    Jehova, from the summit of the sky,
    Environ’d with his winged hierarchy,
    The world survey’d. George Sandys.

    The blessedest of mortal wights, now questionless the highest saint in the celestial hierarchy, began to be so importuned, that a great part of the divine liturgy was addressed solely to her. James Howell, Vocal Forest.

    The presbytery had more sympathy with the discipline of Scotland than the hierarchy of England. Francis Bacon.

    While the old levitical hierarchy continued, it was part of the ministerial office to flay the sacrifices. South.

    Consider what I have written, from regard for the church established under the hierarchy of bishops. Jonathan Swift.

Wikipedia

  1. Hierarchy

    A hierarchy (from Greek: ἱεραρχία, hierarkhia, 'rule of a high priest', from hierarkhes, 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important concept in a wide variety of fields, such as architecture, philosophy, design, mathematics, computer science, organizational theory, systems theory, systematic biology, and the social sciences (especially political philosophy). A hierarchy can link entities either directly or indirectly, and either vertically or diagonally. The only direct links in a hierarchy, insofar as they are hierarchical, are to one's immediate superior or to one of one's subordinates, although a system that is largely hierarchical can also incorporate alternative hierarchies. Hierarchical links can extend "vertically" upwards or downwards via multiple links in the same direction, following a path. All parts of the hierarchy that are not linked vertically to one another nevertheless can be "horizontally" linked through a path by traveling up the hierarchy to find a common direct or indirect superior, and then down again. This is akin to two co-workers or colleagues; each reports to a common superior, but they have the same relative amount of authority. Organizational forms exist that are both alternative and complementary to hierarchy. Heterarchy is one such form.

ChatGPT

  1. hierarchy

    Hierarchy is a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status, authority, importance, or other criteria. It is a structured model where individuals or elements are categorized based on their level of power or influence.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Hierarchynoun

    dominion or authority in sacred things

  2. Hierarchynoun

    a body of officials disposed organically in ranks and orders each subordinate to the one above it; a body of ecclesiastical rulers

  3. Hierarchynoun

    a form of government administered in the church by patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, and, in an inferior degree, by priests

  4. Hierarchynoun

    a rank or order of holy beings

  5. Etymology: [Gr. 'ierarchi`a: cf. F. hirarchie.]

Wikidata

  1. Hierarchy

    A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another. Abstractly, a hierarchy can be modelled mathematically as a rooted tree: the root of the tree forms the top level, and the children of a given vertex are at the same level, below their common parent. A hierarchy can link entities either directly or indirectly, and either vertically or horizontally. The only direct links in a hierarchy, insofar as they are hierarchical, are to one's immediate superior or to one of one's subordinates, although a system that is largely hierarchical can also incorporate alternative hierarchies. Indirect hierarchical links can extend "vertically" upwards or downwards via multiple links in the same direction, following a path. All parts of the hierarchy which are not linked vertically to one another nevertheless can be "horizontally" linked through a path by traveling up the hierarchy to find a common direct or indirect superior, and then down again. This is akin to two co-workers or colleagues; each reports to a common superior, but they have the same relative amount of authority. Organizational forms exist that are both alternative and complimentary to hierarchy. Heterarchy is one such form.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'HIERARCHY' in Nouns Frequency: #1859

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce HIERARCHY?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of HIERARCHY in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of HIERARCHY in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of HIERARCHY in a Sentence

  1. Jeremy Faledam:

    It's unsettling. He makes a hierarchy between racism and homophobia, which are two types of discrimination that need to be fought just the same.

  2. Frank Bonnet:

    We could already learn which features are relevant for the fish for social integration, we can also learn the hierarchy in fish societies, if for instance there are some leaders, and what are the important aspects to become a leader in fish groups, and how the fish are collectively taking decisions.

  3. Laurence J. Peter:

    In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

  4. Max Abrahms:

    The cold truth is that Americans care much more about keeping safe from terrorism than the humanitarian nightmare unfolding in Afghanistan, this means that Americans can tolerate the Taliban even in Kabul so long as it’s not aiding al Qaeda in committing terrorism outside the region. I do not see the U.S. returning to Afghanistan unless there’s another mass casualty attack on the homeland. I hope the Taliban understands this hierarchy of American foreign policy interests.

  5. Frank Bowman:

    As majority leader, she has the de facto if not the legal power to keep the Judiciary Committee or any other committee from driving full bore toward impeachment, that is the reality of the hierarchy of the House.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

HIERARCHY#1#8571#10000

Translations for HIERARCHY

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"HIERARCHY." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/HIERARCHY>.

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