/yooh pa"trid, yooh"peuh-/ , n. , pl. eupatridae /yooh pa"tri dee'/ .
one of the hereditary aristocrats of ancient Athens and other states of Greece, who at one time formed the ruling class.
[ 1825-35; eupatrídes, lit., of a good father, of noble descent, equiv. to eu- EU- + patr- (s. of patér ) FATHER + -ides -ID 2 ]