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| hi·er·ar·chy [ h rrkee, h ə rrkee ] (plural hi·er·ar·chies) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. formally ranked group: an organization or group whose members are arranged in ranks, e.g. in ranks of power and seniority
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2. formal grading of group: the categorization of members of a group according to importance
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3. animal group organization: a form of social organization in animals in which different members of a group possess different levels of status, affecting their feeding and mating behavior
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4. religion ranked group of clergy: a body of clergy organized into ranks
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5. controlling group in formal organization: those who are in charge of a formally organized group, especially the priests in control of the Roman Catholic Church or a local part of it
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6. biology subset within ranked system: a subset within a classification system, e.g. that for plants or animals
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