"hierarchies" in the noun sense
1. hierarchy
a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system
"put honesty first in her hierarchy of values"
2. hierarchy, power structure, pecking order
the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License