patrician: Meaning and Definition of

pa•tri•cian

Pronunciation: (pu-trish'un), [key]
— n.
  1. a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat.
  2. a person of very good background, education, and refinement.
  3. a member of the original senatorial aristocracy in ancient Rome.
  4. (under the later Roman and Byzantine empires) a title or dignity conferred by the emperor.
  5. a member of a hereditary ruling class in certain medieval German, Swiss, and Italian free cities.
—adj.
  1. of high social rank or noble family; aristocratic.
  2. befitting or characteristic of persons of very good background, education, and refinement: patrician tastes.
  3. of or belonging to the patrician families of ancient Rome.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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