A.pitṛ[snull ]u, no dat. pl. occurs in Hom. or Hes.), late Ep. “πατέρεσσι” Q.S.10.40 :— father, Il.1.98, etc. ; πατρὸς πατήρ grandfather, 14.118, Od.19.180, X.HG6.3.4, etc. ; “τοῦδε κεκλῆσθαι πατρός” S.Fr.86 ; μητρὸς καλεῖσθαι παῖδα τοῦ π. παρόν ib.564 ; τὰ πρὸς πατρός by the father's side, Hdt.7.99, cf. SIG1015.7 (Halic.), etc. ; esp. of God, the father of the Israelites, LXXDe.32.6, al. ; father of men, Ev.Matt. 6.8, al. ; father of Jesus Christ, ib.7.21,al.
II. esp. as epith. of Zeus, πατὴρ Ζεύς, π. Κρονίδης, π. ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, Il.4.235, 21.508, 1.544, al. ; Ζεὺς π. A.Th. 512, etc. ; “Ζεῦ πάτερ καὶ θεοί” Ar.Ach.225 ; π. Οὐρανιδᾶν Ζ. Pi.P.4.194 ; “ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων Ζεὺς π. ?ολύμπιος” S.Tr.275, etc.
III. respectful mode of addressing persons older than oneself, “ξεὶνε πάτερ” Od.7.28,48,8.145, cf. POxy. 1296.15 (iii A. D.), etc. ; in addressing an elder brother, UPZ65.3 (ii B.C.).
IV. metaph., father, author, “ἀοιδᾶν π . . . εὐαίνητος ?ορφεύς” Pi.P.4.176 ; Χρόνος ὁ πάντων π. Id.O.2.17, cf. Pl.Ti.41a ; τοῦ λόγου π. Id.Smp. 177d, cf. Phdr.257b, etc. ; ὁ π. τῶν φώτων, i.e. God, the father of the stars, Ep.Jac.1.17 ; οἱ π. τῶν ἀτόμων the authors of the atomic theory, Gal.1.246 ; of capital, “τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκγόνους τόκους” Pl.R.555e.
V. title of a grade in the mysteries of Mithras, IG14.1272, etc.
VI. π. πατρίδος, = Lat. pater patriae, Plu.Cic.23, BGU1074.1 (i A. D.), IG7.2713.33 (Acraeph., i A. D.), etc. ; similarly, π. τῆς πόλεως ib.5(1).1417.11 (Methone).
VII. in pl.,