matriarchy

[ mey-tree-ahr-kee ]

/ ˈmeɪ triˌɑr ki /

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noun, plural ma·tri·ar·chies.

a family, society, community, or state governed by women.

a form of social organization in which the mother is head of the family, and in which descent is reckoned in the female line, the children belonging to the mother's clan; matriarchal system.

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Origin of matriarchy

First recorded in 1880–85; matri- + -archy

Words nearby matriarchy

matrass, matri-, matriarch, matriarchal, matriarchate, matriarchy, matric, matrical, matrices, matricide, matriclinous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use matriarchy in a sentence

Mellaart went far beyond Frazer’s and Graves’ claims about goddess worship by suggesting Çatalhöyük was an ancient matriarchy where women ruled over men.
What archaeologists got wrong about female statues, goddesses, and fertility|Annalee Newitz|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
It is a vast conspiracy that is working tirelessly to build a Matriarchy to enslave men.
The Masculine Mystique|R. Tod Kelly|October 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Descent was matrilinear, and a society known as matriarchy existed, as contrasted to the later patriarchy.
The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races|Sanger Brown, II
Patriarchy succeeded matriarchy, but whether as a gradual evolution or otherwise is not clear.
The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races|Sanger Brown, II

The people seem to be in a transition state between Patriarchy and Matriarchy.
Savage Island|Basil C. Thomson
It would appear that with the aforementioned rise of matriarchy this state of affairs is changing.
Seductio Ad Absurdum|Emily Hahn
With the development of civilization we find that adaptation tends to take the form of matriarchy, as in the United States.
Seductio Ad Absurdum|Emily Hahn

British Dictionary definitions for matriarchy

matriarchy

/ (ˈmeɪtrɪˌɑːkɪ) /

noun plural -chies

a form of social organization in which a female is head of the family or society, and descent and kinship are traced through the female line

any society dominated by women

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

Cultural definitions for matriarchy

matriarchy

[ (may-tree-ahr-kee) ]

A family or society in which authority is held by females, through whom descent and inheritance are traced. More generally, a matriarchy is a society dominated by women. (See also matrilineal, patriarchy, and patrilineal.)