matriarch

[ mey-tree-ahrk ]
See synonyms for: matriarchmatriarchal on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the female head of a family or tribal line.

  2. a woman who is the founder or dominant member of a community or group.

  1. a venerable old woman.

Origin of matriarch

1
First recorded in 1600–10; matri- + -arch

Other words from matriarch

  • ma·tri·ar·chal, ma·tri·ar·chic, adjective
  • ma·tri·ar·chal·ism, noun

Words Nearby matriarch

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How to use matriarch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for matriarch

matriarch

/ (ˈmeɪtrɪˌɑːk) /


noun
  1. a woman who dominates an organization, community, etc

  2. the female head of a tribe or family, esp in a matriarchy

  1. a very old or venerable woman

Origin of matriarch

1
C17: from matri- + -arch, by false analogy with patriarch

Derived forms of matriarch

  • matriarchal or rare matriarchic, adjective
  • matriarchalism, noun

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