any system of persons or things ranked one above another.
government by ecclesiastical rulers.
the power or dominion of a hierarch.
an organized body of ecclesiastical officials in successive ranks or orders: the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
one of the three divisions of the angels, each made up of three orders, conceived as constituting a graded body.
Also called celestial hierarchy. the collective body of angels.
government by an elite group.
Linguistics. the system of levels according to which a language is organized, as phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, or semantic.
Origin of hierarchy
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English jerarchie, from Middle French ierarchie, gerarchie, from Medieval Latin (h)ierarchia, from Late Greek hierarchía “stewardship of scared rites, rule or power of the high priest,” equivalent to hier(o)- “holy, sacred” + -archía, a combining form meaning “rule”; see hier(o)-, -archy
historical usage of hierarchy
Hierarchy comes ultimately from Greek hierarchía “stewardship of sacred rites,” a derivative of hierárchēs “high priest, leader of sacred rites,” via Medieval Latin (h)ierarchia. The Medieval Latin word originally meant “rank or dignity of a hierarch (high-ranking religious leader)” in a system devised in the late 5th or early 6th century by the mystical theologian and philosopher Pseudo-Dionysius. The Greek word hierarchía is formed from hierós “holy, dedicated to a god, sacred, strong, excellent, glorious” and a derivative of the verb árchein “to be first, begin, rule.” The earliest occurrence of hierarchy in English dates from the late 14th century in the sense “one of the three divisions of the angels into higher and lower ranks.” This meaning was quickly extended to other supernatural entities, and finally, in the 16th century, to “rule or dominion in holy matters, rule or government by priests, a system of ecclesiastical rule.” The sense “a group of people, plants, animals, or things ranked in grades, orders, or classes” dates from the 17th century.
However, if you begin to look carefully at sentences, what you find is that they are organized in this hierarchy.
Talking Is Throwing Fictional Worlds at One Another - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Kevin Berger|September 9, 2020|Nautilus
Forbes was generally a pretty platooned place, and there was a hierarchy and knowledge was exchanged very judiciously in the ranks.
‘Unstoppable innovator’: The meteoric rise of Meredith Kopit Levien, the next New York Times CEO|Steven Perlberg|August 19, 2020|Digiday
Usually, at some point below board level, someone in the hierarchy doesn’t have time to think purely about organic non-brand clicks.
Why SEOs should care about brand|Robin Lord|July 31, 2020|Search Engine Land
Upfronts upendedAs the playing field levels between the TV companies and the streaming platforms, the hierarchy for upfront negotiations has the potential to be upended.
Streaming advertising’s tipping point: Viewership has shifted and ad dollars are expected to follow|Tim Peterson|July 16, 2020|Digiday
We try to understand the ways in which hierarchies are created and maintained.
Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations? (Ep. 426)|Stephen J. Dubner|July 16, 2020|Freakonomics
Absolutely: “Courage I would rank now in the hierarchy of art and love.”
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was, I have to say, at the bottom of the hierarchy of royal honors, a British Empire Medal.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk|Clive Irving|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A strong sense of hierarchy took root as the schools expanded.
At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’|ProPublica|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Powell ranks with Patrick Smith in the hierarchy of Florida historical novelists and that is lofty territory, indeed.
Book Bag: Overlooked Classic Books From the Sunshine State|Randy Wayne White|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the hierarchy of medical issues that carry stigma and fear, HPV has a unique place.
The Silent Shame of HPV|Emily Shire|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have a schematic representation of the world, reduced to a hierarchy of general ideas, noted by symbols.
Essay on the Creative Imagination|Th. Ribot
The lamas—that is, the hierarchy—were losing their hold on the people.
Caravans By Night|Harry Hervey
And yet the hierarchy managed to maintain its assumptions and to overwhelm all remedial attempts.
Luther and the Reformation:|Joseph A. Seiss
Though she disliked the Roman hierarchy as an institution, she counted many friends among the priests of Rome.
Julia Ward Howe|Laura E. Richards
At once all the wrath of the hierarchy was unloosed upon him, and all its influence was thrown to the support of the Government.
The Canadian Dominion|Oscar D. Skelton
British Dictionary definitions for hierarchy
hierarchy
/ (ˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪ) /
nounplural-chies
a system of persons or things arranged in a graded order
a body of persons in holy orders organized into graded ranks
the collective body of those so organized
a series of ordered groupings within a system, such as the arrangement of plants and animals into classes, orders, families, etc
linguisticsmathsa formal structure, usually represented by a diagram of connected nodes, with a single uppermost elementCompare ordering, heterarchy, tree (def. 6)