n.
Pronunciation: ' h ī -( ə -) ˌ rär-k ē also ' hi(- ə )r- ˌ är-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -chies
Etymology: Middle English ierarchie rank or order of holy beings, from Anglo-French jerarchie, from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek, from Greek hierarch ē s
Date: 14th century
1 : a division of angels
2 a : a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it especially : the bishops of a province or nation b : church government by a hierarchy
3 : a body of persons in authority
4 : the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing also : the group so classified
5 : a graded or ranked series <a hierarchy of values>