matriarchate

[ mey-tree-ahr-kit, -keyt ]
/ ˈmeɪ triˌɑr kɪt, -keɪt /

noun

a matriarchal system or community.
a social order formerly believed to have preceded patriarchal tribal society in the early period of human communal life, embodying rule by the mothers, or by all adult women.

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Origin of matriarchate

First recorded in 1880–85; matriarch + -ate3

Words nearby matriarchate

matr-, matralia, matrass, matri-, matriarch, matriarchate, matriarchy, matric, matrical, matrices, matricide
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for matriarchate

British Dictionary definitions for matriarchate

matriarchate
/ (ˈmeɪtrɪˌɑːkɪt, -keɪt) /

noun

rare a family or people under female domination or government
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012