1. A father; a male parent.
Usage: Latin origin; formal or literary; chiefly British, especially in school contexts
2. The male head of a family or household.
Usage: archaic or formal

Examples

• The boys at the boarding school often spoke fondly of their pater.
• In Roman times, the pater familias held absolute authority over the household.
• He wrote a letter to his pater asking for permission to study abroad.
• The pater of the family made all the important decisions.
• Young students would address the headmaster with the same respect they showed their pater.