pa·tri·cian / pəˈtrishən/ • n. an aristocrat or nobleman. ∎  a member of a long-established wealthy family. ∎  a member of a noble family or class in ancient Rome.• adj. belonging to or characteristic of the aristocracy: a proud, patrician face. ∎  belonging to or characteristic of a long-established and wealthy family. ∎  belonging to the nobility of ancient Rome.

patrician a member of a noble family or class in ancient Rome. The rank was originally hereditary, but in Imperial Rome patricians could be appointed by the emperor. In the later Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire, patrician was an honorific title bestowed by the Emperor at Byzantium, introduced by Constantine I; it was also used for an officer, originally bearing this distinction, sent or appointed as representative of the Byzantine Emperor to administer the provinces of Italy and Africa.

In extended use, an aristocrat or nobleman, a member of a long-established wealthy family. Recorded from late Middle English, the word comes via Old French from Latin patricius ‘having a noble father’.

patrician noble in ancient Rome or the later Roman Empire XV; nobleman, aristocrat XVII. — (O)F. patricien, f. L. patricius, sb. use of adj. ‘of a noble father’, f. pater, patr- FATHER, see -IAN.

patrician Aristocratic class in the ancient Roman Republic, members of the Senate. In the early years of the Republic, the patricians controlled all aspects of government and society. Under the Empire, the division between patricians and plebeians disappeared.