patriarch

patriarch [-'s] n

OFr patriarche.

1. Prophet Noah; righteous descendent of Adam and Eve; spiritual leader in the Old Testament of the Bible; family man who sent birds out of the Ark to look for land after the great flood had cleansed the earth of wickedness; (see Genesis 6-10).
2. Grandparent; head of a family; senior one in the household; [variant] ancestor.