- (n.) A body of officials disposed organically in ranks and orders each subordinate to the one above it; a body of ecclesiastical rulers.
- (n.) A form of government administered in the church by patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, and, in an inferior degree, by priests.
- (n.) Dominion or authority in sacred things.
- (n.) A rank or order of holy beings.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). hierarchy. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/hierarchy/definitions/2016500 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "hierarchy" http://smartdefine.org/hierarchy/definitions/2016500 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, hierarchy, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/hierarchy/definitions/2016500>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "hierarchy" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/hierarchy/definitions/2016500> |