HIERARCHY

noun (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 hierarchēs Date: 14th century a division of angels, 2. a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it, church government by a ~, a body of persons in authority, the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing, a graded or ranked series