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A '''hierarchy''' is an ordering of persons, ideas, or constructs from less to greater importance, in a tiered organizational structure.  Organizations may have a hierarchy, both formally and informally: for example, the [[Senate]] formally has no internal hierarchy, but informally, senior Senators may "rank" above junior Senators. [[Doctor]]s of academic disciplines (Ph.D.) in prestigious [[University|universities]] who have been awarded the distinction of occupying the "[[Chairman|chair]]" of academic study are sometimes regarded as "high priests" of their discipline, and the varying levels of academic expertise in [[Board of Education|Boards of Education]] as representative of a hierarchy of education. Head coaches of sports teams and their staffs of assistants each constitute a hierarchy of athletic expertise. Military rank is an explicit form of operational hierarchy in every nation, for example, in the United States, from the Commander in Chief, the [[President of the United States of America|President]], and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], down to the least member of enlisted military personnel.

A '''hierarchy''' is an ordering of persons, ideas, or constructs from less to greater importance, in a tiered organizational structure.  Organizations may have a hierarchy, both formally and informally: for example, the [[Senate]] formally has no internal hierarchy, but informally, senior Senators may "rank" above junior Senators. [[Doctor]]s of academic disciplines (Ph.D.) in prestigious [[University|universities]] who have been awarded the distinction of occupying the "[[Chairman|chair]]" of academic study are sometimes regarded as "high priests" of their discipline, and the varying levels of academic expertise in [[Board of Education|Boards of Education]] as representative of a hierarchy of education. Head coaches of sports teams and their staffs of assistants each constitute a hierarchy of athletic expertise. Military rank is an explicit form of operational hierarchy in every nation, for example, in the United States, from the Commander in Chief, the [[President of the United States of America|President]], and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], down to the least member of enlisted military personnel. The [[CEO]] of a [[corporation]] represents the head of a hierarchy of [[business]] in the world of [[economics]].

The word '''hierarchy''' comes from ''hieros'', "priest", and ''archos'', "ruler", thus "priest-rule", from the ancient societal ordered levels of authoritative rule by a form of highly educated "priesthood", either [[secular]], as in [[politics]], [[education]] and [[science]], or [[Religion|religious]], either [[Paganism|pagan]] or [[Christian]]. The most readily recognized hierarchy is exemplified by the levels of religious authority in the [[Catholic Church]].

The word '''hierarchy''' comes from ''hieros'', "priest", and ''archos'', "ruler", thus "priest-rule", from the ancient societal ordered levels of authoritative rule by a form of highly educated "priesthood", either [[secular]], as in [[politics]], [[education]] and [[science]], or [[Religion|religious]], either [[Paganism|pagan]] or [[Christian]]. The most readily recognized hierarchy is exemplified by the levels of religious authority in the [[Catholic Church]].