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

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.5 / 2 votes

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

GCIDERate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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.

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Hierarchynoun

   Etymology: hierarchie, French, from hierarch.

   1. A sacred government; rank or subordination of holy beings.

   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.

   2. Ecclesiastical establishment.

   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.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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

1. • Organization
   • Series

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

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

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce HIERARCHY?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say HIERARCHY in sign language?

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. Interim CEO Bodner:

   It's due to inaccurate assessments by individuals across many levels of hierarchy, what was the cause? Not our systems.

2. Laurence J. Peter:

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

3. Paula Kane:

   The bishops' first reaction was to say that things look bad, but they did all we could, but lay people aren't buying that. The trust between the church's hierarchy and the people in the pews has been destroyed.

4. 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.

5. Luke Hemsworth:

   Not really, it’s never been a competition thing. It’s about being able to do good work and it always has been. I don’t care where I sit in terms of hierarchy, box office takings or any of that stuff.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=HIERARCHY
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=HIERARCHY
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/HIERARCHY
4. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=HIERARCHY
5. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIERARCHY
6. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
7. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/HIERARCHY
8. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=HIERARCHY
9. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=HIERARCHY