/pay"tree euh poh tes"teuhs, pah"-, pa"-/ ; Lat. /pah"trddi ah' poh tes"tahs/ , Roman Law.
the power vested in the paterfamilias or head of the Roman family with respect to his wife, natural or adopted children, and agnatic descendants: title to family property is vested exclusively in the paterfamilias. Property acquired by a family member becomes family property, and no family member can enter into a transaction in his or her own right.
[ ]