hierarchy
- A system in which people or things are ranked above one another according to status, authority, or importance.
- The group of people who hold the top ranks in such a system.
In a sentence
- New employees quickly learned to navigate the corporate hierarchy before approaching senior executives directly.
- The medieval church maintained a strict hierarchy with the pope at its apex.
Usage note. In formal writing, 'hierarchy' implies a structured system of power; avoid using it loosely to mean merely 'order' or 'priority.'
Where it comes from
English hierarchy · entered English late 14th c.
From Medieval Latin 'hierarchia,' itself from Greek 'hierarchia,' meaning 'rule of a high priest,' combining 'hieros' (sacred) and 'archein' (to rule). The Greek term originally applied to the ranked orders of angels before broadening to any ranked system. It entered English in the late 14th century.