matri-

American  

especially before a vowel, matro-;

1. a combining form meaning “mother,” used in the formation of compound words.

   matrilineal.

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matri- British  

combining form

1. mother or motherhood

   matriarchy

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Usage

What does matri- mean? The combining form matri- is used like a prefix meaning “mother.” It is used in a variety of everyday and scientific terms, especially in anthropology. The form matri- comes from Latin māter, meaning “mother.” The word matrix, which has various meanings, including "womb," comes from this same Latin root, as does matron, "a married woman."The “father” counterpart to matri- is patri-. Check out our Words That Use article for patri- to learn more. The Greek cognate of Latin māter is mḗtēr, also meaning “mother,” which is the source of words such as metropolis, a term that literally means “mother city.” Find out more at our entries for matrix, matron, and metropolis. What are variants of matri-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, matri- becomes matr-, as in matral. Another rare variant of matri- is matro-, as in matrocliny. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for each of these forms.

Etymology

Origin of matri-

< Latin, combining form of māter mother ¹