The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PATRIARCH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
P
A
T
R
I
A
R
C
H
More clues leading to the result PATRIARCH
- Pawn courts one escaping wealthy tribal leader
- Revolutionary character runs into Lot and Abraham?
- Grand old man? A rich prat’s fancy
- Family boss, a Dubliner briefly stabling Arab horse
- Old man‘s tract of land through which inlet runs
- Father’s taking a trip, playing bridge
- Head of family planning’s first chair – art nouveau
- Irishman and Arab entertained by wealthy venerable figure
- Father-figure Patrick's royal chair's renovated
- Father dead-headed rose in garden plot
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Father" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case father = patriarch.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PATRIARCH mean?
PATRIARCH noun- The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.
- In Biblical contexts, a male leader of a family, tribe or ethnic group, especially one of the twelve sons of Jacob (considered to have created the twelve tribes of Israel) or (in plural) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
- An old leader of a village or community.
- The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a clan or extended family.
- The male head of a household or nuclear family.